


Chef's kiss

by youngjaewrlds



Category: The Boyz (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Restaurant, Attempt at Humor, Eric has a crush, Friendship, M/M, student!eric, student!juyeon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:54:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 131,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25833811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youngjaewrlds/pseuds/youngjaewrlds
Summary: Against all odds, on a chilly February morning, Sangyeon successfully opens his own fast food restaurant. With the help of his friends, his business rapidly grows into what would become his full-time occupation. Meet his employees (or friends, whatever) as they juggle around work, school and their precarious love lives.Alternatively: Enjoy this written-like-a-sitcom chaotic story in which the author tries to write everything she wants under one book title.
Relationships: Bae Joonyoung | Jacob/Lee Sangyeon, Ji Changmin | Q/Moon Hyungseo | Kevin, Ju Haknyeon/Kim Sunwoo, Lee Juyeon/Son Youngjae | Eric
Comments: 55
Kudos: 228





	1. intro

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Yes, rewatching Flower Snack for the nth time has greatly inspired this work. That, and a mix of series I've watched, and a sprinkle of my own experiences at work. 
> 
> This first chapter is what it announces: an intro, and nothing more. I know it's a long one, but it gives a pretty good look into this universe. The next chapter will be coming out shortly. I hope you like it!

This was not how you’d expect a group of teenagers and young adults to be willingly spending their afternoon on the very first warm Saturday of the year.

In the same breath, Eric skillfully dodged a pair of running children, brushed past a couple all too engrossed with each other to even pay attention to him, and hopped backwards to avoid a collision with a sleazy old man who appeared in front of him as he was looking elsewhere. Balanced on his arms were piles of dirty plates and glasses he couldn’t afford to drop. He could feel the sweat beading on his forehead, and his ears ringing from the noise level inside the cramped place, but he couldn’t stop to have a break. Breaks were bad for business. Not that Eric cared much about _business_ itself, but he cared highly about the person running the said business.

The heavy doors to the restaurant’s kitchen swung shut behind him, after he’d pushed past them using his right hip. Although significantly less crowded, chaos was still as striking in the kitchen as it was in the front of the shop, if not more. Eric hadn’t crossed half of the dark room when a taller figure sporting a worried look jumped in front of him. And there he was, holding his arms out to take some of the burden off of Eric, the man that the blonde-haired student was doing it all for. Lee Sangyeon, one of his best friends, and undeniably the most trustworthy, caring person in the world. Eric hadn’t hesitated for one second when the older had, albeit in an unusual way, come up to him with a job offer.

It was a late Friday night when he had first gotten a wind of what his friend was preparing. His friend group had managed to all gather together, a rare event when all of their schedules were cleared at the same time. With twelve of them, it was quite a tall order, and seemed to happen only once every blue moon. Eric hadn’t seen Sangyeon’s apartment _that_ crowded probably since the surprise birthday party they had thrown him back in November, a little over two months ago.

Eric wasn’t drunk, not entirely sober either as he’d laid on the worn-out couch of Sangyeon’s apartment. Correction; he wasn’t exactly laying on the couch, more like on top of the people sat on it. He hadn’t even looked before he’d thrown himself, back first, over the armrest. His back had brutally hit one of his friends’ thighs, earning him an angry flick on the forehead.

An hour later, maybe, Eric didn’t really know, he was almost falling asleep, thanks to the slender fingers gently carding through his hair. From the corner of his half-closed eyes, he had seen Sangyeon stand up from where he’d been sprawled on the floor, and turning off whatever video game the bunch had started placing drunk bets over. He remembers a swarm of protests bursting all around the room, and he’d been pushed up to a sitting position by whoever he’d been laying on. Sangyeon had looked at them, eyes glossy from the alcohol, and had declared in the most serious way: “I’m opening a restaurant.”

Silence had filled the room for just about two seconds before everyone had started screaming and laughing again. Over the next few days, Eric gathered from most of his friends that they all thought their drunken hyung had only been joking, trying to mess with them in the most unfunny, very _Sangyeon_ way. It didn’t make the slightest bit of sense that the almost-graduated med student would do such a thing as opening a restaurant.

For the next three weeks, Eric had almost forgotten about the incident. It had been an ongoing joke between his group of friends, until they had all grown tired of it. When Sangyeon drove him to the empty place for the first time, after school, Eric had pinched himself for a good minute, until Sangyeon had unlocked the door, and had hurried Eric inside to shelter them from the pouring rain. His friends and fellow college students, Sunwoo and Hyunjoon, had been driven there too, and Sangyeon had, very informally, officially offered the three of them the opportunity to work for him. Eric had swirled around the undecorated, plain dining area that would, a month later, be buzzing in activity, and hadn’t hesitated before taking Sangyeon’s offer.

Eric had never regretted joining Sangyeon’s crew. Without any hassle, everyone in their friend group had jumped on board as well, no matter their social or financial situation. The restaurant now felt like a second home to Eric, and despite requiring a lot of effort, and stealing countless hours out of Eric’s “hobby time”, Eric had never hated coming over to the small shop.

Eric stopped in his tracks for a few seconds, allowing Sangyeon to take a pile of dishes from his overloaded arms, and followed the older towards the back of the store. At the far-left corner of the kitchen was a secluded area, a room with two door-less entrances where could be found a dish-washing sink, and tall shelves where were stored dozens of different things. The area was lit by a singular light bulb, creating long shadows over the walls. Eric never lingered for long in the cold room, and he suspected Sangyeon to have purposefully made the hideout have an unpleasant atmosphere.

“Thanks hyung”, Eric panted, slightly out of breath.

Sangyeon took a look at him, sincere smile glowing on his face. “Keep up the good work, Eric-ah.”

He fondly ruffled Eric’s hair, and the younger huffed in annoyance. It was merely a habit, now, to pretend to be irked by his friend’s displays of affection. Everyone knew the youngest of their group loved being cuddly, being babied and taken care of. For his pride, Eric liked to insist that he hated all forms of friendly love, both physically and verbally, even though no one was fooled by his antics after knowing him for so long.

Sangyeon gently worked at fixing the subtle yet awkward folding of the black apron tied around Eric’s waist, pushing a blue pen back down one of the side pockets. Eric whined half-heartedly, but let his boss – friend – take care of his appearance. When the older boy’s hands lifted off of him, Eric almost sprinted out of the badly lit and scary area, even though he realistically had been in there for less than a minute. On his way out, he almost stumbled over a waiter whose arms were equally as charged as his had been; his same aged friend, Hyunjoon.

The raven-haired gave him a warning look, and Eric could almost hear his silent scolding of “look where you’re going!”. His dangling hearings were swaying at the rhythm of his hurried footsteps when he disappeared into the washing area, his all dark clothes blending into the shadows of the room.

Hyunjoon’s partake into Sangyeon’s starting business hadn’t surprised anyone. At only 20, the college student already had a struggling company of his own. Nothing as serious as Sangyeon’s restaurant, however, it was more of a hobby-turned-business kind of situation. From the utmost secrecy of his family house’s bedroom, Hyunjoon liked to customize his own clothes, his friends’, and, ultimately, his customers’. He had been talking for a while about wanting to save up some money to move out on his own, somewhere spacious enough where he could build his own studio, and expand his brand. Sangyeon’s job offer had come as a perfect opportunity, and Sangyeon had almost checked his name on the list before the younger could even say “yes”.

Eyes now set in front of him, Eric stepped back unharmed into the dining room. He hadn’t even blinked twice for his eyes to readjust to the daylight that he already heard his name being called. At equal distance between the kitchen doors and the restaurant’s entrance was a table higher than those for the customers, where stood the cash register. It’s full-time operator on busy days, Jacob, was sitting on the stool in front of it. His delicate features were hardened, eyebrows furrowed as his head whipped around between the screen and the cash-drawer.

No one had flinched when Jacob had made his decision to join the restaurant. The soon-to-be 23 years old had been the last one to join their friend group, three years prior. He had moved to Korea on his own in hopes or pursuing his music producing career in Korea’s promising market. Confronted to the jaw-dropping rent prices around Seoul, he had gotten no other choice but to swipe his comfort zone under the rug and get himself a stranger for a roommate. Using of the very limited connections his family had in Korea, he’d been put in contact with Kevin, who had just gotten his hands on a brand-new flat in downtown Seoul, and was looking for a roommate to lessen his living cost. At the time, none of Kevin’s friends were in need of moving out of their parents’ house, or were able to leave their current housing to help the Canadian out.

Kevin and Jacob had bonded miraculously quick, considering that they were both introverts. They often speculated that it was their Canadian roots that had united them, but Eric suspected that there was more to it, like some sort of a fated friendship brought to life in their tiny second-floor apartment. As much as splitting rent with Kevin had helped Jacob, the older was to this day still struggling to make ends meet. In addition to his new home, Jacob had also rented a music studio, conveniently located at a walking distance from his apartment. The place cost him a fortune, and the debt he put himself in in order to afford it was no secret to any of the guys in the group, even if Jacob tended to keep his struggles and his personal stories rather private.

Working for Sangyeon was just the perfect chance for Jacob to earn some extra money, while not having to worry about the stress of getting into a new environment, with new people, and having to build new social relationships.

Eric skipped over to him, laying a hand on the elder’s shoulder to take a look at the problem. He didn’t even have to count the amount of money that Jacob was holding in his hands to realize that it certainly did not match the total displayed in bright red on the register’s screen.

“Did Haknyeon give someone an extra discount again?” Eric pondered out loud, kind of a joke, but then again, Haknyeon was well-known for his unrivaled customer service.

Haknyeon was known for making customers, mostly people his age, swoon over him.

Jacob made a realization face, and nodded slowly, in understanding. Just like that, Eric had given Jacob the first key to solving his problem. Jacob tilted his head upwards to look at Eric with a grateful smile. “Thank you, little one”, he spoke in natural English.

Eric never had the heart to even pretend at hating Jacob’s affectionate pet names and sweet and caring gestures. He patted Jacob’s shoulder with a smile, and picked up his cork pad from next to the register. He fished his blue pen from the depths of his apron pocket and, clicking it nervously, headed back into the busy mess of tables to attend to a family he’d sat down a few minutes before.

With his newly written out order slip in hand, Eric walked around tables. He stopped in the middle of the dining room to help a wavering Hyunjoon safely put some plates down on a table, and made it across the room a few seconds later. The wall in front of him was the one separating the dining room from the kitchen. On the very right of the wall were the heavy pivoting doors, and in the center of it, an opening the height of a large television, or 14 packets of ramen stacked on top of each other – yes, Eric had counted – and the length of two tables and a half glued together. It was what they called the “order counter”, where waiters and cooks exchanged order slips and trays full of food. The counter reached at Eric’s chest, and the opening in the wall came up to a bit over his head.

Eric slid the piece of paper he was holding over to a pink-haired boy, stood on the other side of the counter. Choi Chanhee, the Tom to Eric’s Jerry, and also the boy who, more often than not, coordinated the entire kitchen. That role had been attributed to him after he’d left his previous job as a waiter for Sangyeon, making him the only crew member who had already worked in a restaurant – multiple, actually – before the grand opening. Considering how often Chanhee complained about his very last job, more than about all the other ones he’d had in the past, there was no shock factor when he announced he’d be leaving the fast food restaurant chain he despised so much.

No matter how much Eric loved to bicker with and annoy the older for pure entertainment, there was no denying how admiring he was of the older. Chanhee, the law student, who had started working at 14 to save up to pay for a tuition and for his future. Chanhee still lived at his parents’ house, but that was the only financial aid he was receiving from his family. Chanhee worked diligently, always immersed into what he was doing. Eric quarreled inoffensively with Chanhee at any given chance, but he also never missed an opportunity to treat his hyung to a meal near the end of the month, or to slip a few face masks from Chanhee’s favourite skin care brand into his bag when it became evident that, under his ‘in control’ facade, the world was starting to turn a bit too fast.

Chanhee grabbed the order slip without ever looking up from the lower counter, where he was preparing all of the other orders at the same time. Eric couldn’t see from the other side of the wall, but he knew that the older was already writing down some notes on the paper.

“Wait up”, the older instructed, tapping his pen on his chin, “order for table 4 is going to be ready.”

Eric usually took advantage of the moments he was told to wait at the counter, right in Chanhee’s face, to make some snarky comments at the older, try to break his focus. Chanhee was almost _too_ serious when he worked, and that was the reason why Eric liked to tease him the most. However, today, he swallowed his remarks back, remembering how busy the restaurant was, and that it wasn’t the time for him to be causing mistakes _on purpose._

Next to him, another boy appeared, hair dark, with newly added hints of navy blue catching the light at every movement. He leaned onto the counter, propping his chin onto his hands, elbows resting on the high counter.

Ju Haknyeon, the boy whose reputation preceded. Before meeting him, Eric had never known someone who could rival his own friendliness. Haknyeon was just that person. He was a tad bit more reserved towards strangers than Eric was, but sometimes louder than the blonde around the ones he trusted. When they attended the same high school, then college up until the current year, Eric had quickly gotten to understand what made Haknyeon so popular.

Haknyeon had some campus crush kind of reputation, although not the usual one. He was extremely friendly, and even though he could show signs of shyness, he never pushed anyone away. He radiated happiness brighter than the sun, and his presence seemed to be _everywhere_. He was involved in several school clubs, every year class president, and everyone knew who he was. He had that aura that no one could hate. He was incredibly popular, and his character followed him at his job, too.

Haknyeon could not be hated. No matter what he did, which mistakes he made, he always found ways around them. Customers loved him; older couples, families, people their age. It was no secret that Haknyeon’s heart was already taken, and had been for a very long time, but people around their age, mostly girls, but boys also, often fell under his natural charms. It did make Haknyeon uncomfortable every time a customer tried to flirt with him. He would unconsciously sneak nervous glances towards the kitchen, but of course he would still end up giving the intruding customer the best service he could, because Haknyeon was a _sweetheart_ , and there was no way he would ever be the slightest bit rude towards a customer.

Chanhee lifted a tray filled with food, grumbling at Haknyeon to move out of the way. Haknyeon pushed himself up, turning to Eric. The younger was about to grip the plastic tray, but stopped himself when he noticed that Haknyeon seemed to be waiting. He sent him a questioning look. “What?”

“My lunch break’s over. So, it’s your turn. Have fun!” Haknyeon smiled at him.

He lightly nudged the younger away, snaking his arms over Eric’s to grab the tray. Eric let him take the tray away before walking into the kitchens.

The wall at the far back of the kitchen could be divided into three. At the left was the open entrance to the dish-washing room. In the middle, there was another open entrance, this time to the hallway that led to the rest of the rooms in the restaurant, the far back store used only by employees. Finally, towards the right side of the wall, covering an important part of it, was the drinks making station. A boy was currently sat at one of the two high stools, working on preparing what seemed like a complex coffee that Eric, in his coffee-hater fashion, had a hard time to recognize.

The tall figure having its back to him was none other than his friend Younghoon’s. If most of Eric’s friends had evident and logical reasons to be working here, Younghoon, to Eric’s eyes, hadn’t. When he learned that the older would be taking part in the adventure, Eric had thought it was a joke.

It was no secret to any of them that Younghoon came from a rich family. Just “rich” would be an understatement. They were billionaires, at least, owning a mansion not so far from the center of Seoul, but not too close that the never-sleeping city would break their castle’s peace. Younghoon was born and raised with a silver spoon, but, surprisingly, it was almost undetectable to anyone who didn’t know Younghoon on a trusted level. It had taken Eric a full year to get there, and it had been a real shock. Younghoon never dressed fancy, never flaunted his money, almost to the level where he was ashamed of it. Eric soon had learned that there was some truth to that assumption.

Younghoon being the humble person that he was, there shouldn’t have been much of a surprise when he decided to work for Sangyeon. Younghoon was exactly the type of person who, despite not having to, would take on a part-time job just for the fun of it, for the experience. Had it been just that, Eric totally would have understood why Younghoon was doing this. Except, the older already had a job, one that used up a lot of his time almost on the daily, and that he wasn’t planning on quitting.

Now that Eric thought about it, Younghoon might have been the first one out of their friend group to get a job. When he was barely 8 years old, Younghoon’s parents had enrolled their son into a modeling agency, for which he was still working to this day. He mostly modeled for high-end clothing brands, but had worked for loads of different modeling jobs; magazines, commercials, makeup, jewellery, perfume ads and, recently, cars. Younghoon rarely talked about his job, but when he did, anyone could see that he enjoyed it a lot.

Eric sneaked closer to the older. He promptly put his hands on the older boy’s shoulders – an attempt at a jump scare – but Younghoon was used to Eric by now. The placement of the drinks station in the kitchen was just all too inviting for the younger to be able to resist pranking his friend, and Younghoon knew keep his guard up at all times.

The currently silver-haired turned around on his pivoting stool, grinning victoriously at Eric. “I told you, that doesn’t work anymore.”

Eric pouted, which only made the older chuckle. Younghoon swung back around to carry on working. The drinks making section of the kitchen was some kind of island to Younghoon, where he worked alone, sometimes with low music on.

The blonde went back on his track to make a stop in front of another small portion of the kitchen. Right after the kitchen doors, and a few meters before Younghoon’s spot, was a small sink, some narrow shelves, two drawers, and three wall hooks. Eric washed his hands absentmindedly. He wiped them onto his apron, and then reached his hands behind his back to untie the cloth, hanging it onto one of the hooks. Only one other apron hung onto one of the other hooks. Had it been anyone else’s, Eric wouldn’t have been able to recognize it, since all their aprons were the same. However, the one on the wall had, hidden between messy crinkles, a small burnt patch next to one of the pockets. Eric’s mind bolted in excitement. He hadn’t realized he’d get to spend a part of his lunch break with his best friend.

Eric walked back towards Younghoon. Without a word, the older handed him a glass, colorful straw sticking from an equally as colorful liquid. Eric thanked Younghoon with a bright smile, and finally left the kitchen to enter the hallway to the back store. To his immediate right was the opened door to Sangyeon’s office. Facing it, in the left wall of the hallway, was another open entrance to the dish-washing area. Eric walked further in, passing in front of the employees’ bathroom, and making a left turn to enter the break room, the door having been left opened.

Eric sat down on a chair, setting his smoothie down on the table. In front of him, slouched onto the booth seat, was the red-haired boy he called his best friend.

After Eric had moved back to Korea from America with his family, he had quickly met the already tight knit group of friends he now called his own. The one to first introduce him to the then ten-membered group had been Hyunjoon, and although they had clicked easily, Eric had instantly gotten a friendship-crush upon his first meeting with Sunwoo. They weren’t similar in a lot of ways, but Eric always found himself back to him, playing pranks on their other friends, or simply hanging out at each other’s houses until it became too dark for their parents to allow them to walk back to their respective homes. They had gotten into countless improvised sleepovers like that, having their deepest talks into the late hours of the night. They bickered a lot, but balanced it with unspoken affection. They supported each other through thick and thin, Sunwoo’s coming out being the ultimate test to seal their friendship to the level of blind trust they now held upon each other.

Eric had been there for Sunwoo through every single part of his teenage life struggles, to a point where he was convinced he knew his best friend better than he knew himself. He had watched Sunwoo fall in love with their older friend, Haknyeon, and silently suffer over their painfully unromantic friendship for almost four months, before Eric had taken it upon himself to make the two of them confess to each other. Sunwoo and Haknyeon had started dating thanks to him, Eric would always brag, at quite a young age, growing up to be high school sweethearts, and the most disgusting ones at that. They had never gotten into a single argument, despite the both of them being quite short tempered, and could always be seen around each other. Eric dressed up as cupid for Halloween that one year when Sunwoo decided to ditch his and Eric’s usual matching costumes for couple’s ones with Haknyeon, that’s how proud Eric was of his matchmaking skills (also because of how bitter he was that his best friend would betray him like that).

If bringing Sunwoo to the love of his life had been one of the highlights of Eric and Sunwoo’s friendship, the younger had also been there for the taller boy through all the lows. Every single one. The day Sunwoo announced to his parents, who were still, years later, having a hard time dealing with the announcement of their son’s homosexuality, that he wanted to study music in order to become a producer, Eric was waiting outside of their house, farther up the street, and he had been there when Sunwoo had ran to find him, not saying anything, but radiating anger. Eric had been the one to collect the pieces when, hours later, Sunwoo had finally broken down under the protective roof of Eric’s bedroom. That had been the first time Eric had ever seen Sunwoo cry.

Eric and his family had given Sunwoo a roof over his head, and food on his plate, for the following two weeks, until Sunwoo was able to move out with Haknyeon. The two of them had already been talking about it, but Sunwoo being kicked out had rushed their preparations a little bit. They had found an apartment, near their college campus just how they had wanted, under just a few days, signing their lease as soon as they had been able to. Eric was there when Sunwoo went back to his parents’ house for the last time to pick up his things, and held him when he cried on the floor of his unfurnished apartment.

Sunwoo’s eyes lifted up from his phone to acknowledge Eric’s presence. The corners of his lips rose up slightly. As Eric sipped on his mango smoothie, the two friends fell into comfortable chatter, stories rolling naturally between them. Sunwoo told Eric about this new track he had just started working on, and Eric told Sunwoo about how he’d spent his Friday night completely avoiding their load of school assignments by blindly agreeing to an invitation to hang out at the apartment that three of their friends shared, with two out of three of the said apartment’s owners.

“You don’t get it, Sunwoo!” Eric whined, laying his entire body onto the table to hide his head onto his arms. “Hyunjae hyung called it a ‘single and gays’ night’!” Eric whimpered, the statement painfully replaying through his mind like a slap in the face.

Sunwoo snorted a laugh, and half-empathetically patted Eric’s head. “You _are_ single though, Eric.” He teased.

Eric raised his head up to glare at Sunwoo. The silent exchange didn’t last for long, before Eric started complaining again. “It’s the fact that it was only Hyunjae hyung, me, and _Juyeon hyung_ there, Sun! It’s almost like he _knows,_ and that’s why he said it.”

In Eric’s mind, Sunwoo was the only person to know about his hopeless crush on their older friend Juyeon. Although Eric was right about the fact that Sunwoo was the only one he’d _told_ about it, the boy was completely oblivious to the fact that nearly every single one of his friends had a pretty good hunch about his feelings.

Sunwoo then had to leave the employees’ room, his break being over. He patted his best friend’s back, and snickered at the younger’s attitude.

A few minutes after Sunwoo had left, another boy came in to get his break. As the dark-haired boy slid onto the seat Sunwoo was previously in, Eric was already back and laying his upper body across the table. The boy chuckled at his friend’s dramatic behaviour, and gently shook his arm to let him know of his presence.

“What’s up, buddy?” he asked in perfect English.

Eric looked up, making eye contact with the boy. Looking at him was a half-amused, half-worried Kevin.

The Canadian had been one of the most important factors in helping Eric settle in into Korea. On their first meeting, Kevin had immediately grown fond of the younger, who at the time was struggling in speaking Korean with people from the country. Kevin had been wonderful to Eric; helping him in learning the new language, being the bridge between Eric and the foreign culture he was being thrown in. Even after Eric had adapted to his new country, they had kept a close bond. Eric considered Kevin like an older brother, and Kevin outright just treated Eric like the younger sibling he never had.

When Kevin agreed to work for Sangyeon, Eric wasn’t surprised. The older being an art student, living on his own, everyone could understand why he needed a part-time job. What _did_ surprise Eric, though, was when one month after the opening of the restaurant, Kevin announced to the group that him and Changmin were dating. Eric had always seen Kevin as a hopeless romantic, the art he enjoyed making only adding up to the image. Because of that, Eric thought he would for sure be able to tell as soon as Kevin’s heart would fall for a special someone. However, Kevin and Changmin had kept things discreet, had taken their sweet time to meet behind closed doors and get to explore their new relationship together, before telling anyone. Now, four months after their announcement, they were the bane of Eric’s sadly single and lonely existence.

With the older boy, the rest of Eric’s break went by in a flash. He talked and laughed so much that he nearly didn’t get enough time to finish drinking his smoothie. Eric thought it was a shame that Kevin was so shy, because around him, he was one of the funniest guys he had ever met.

Eric walked out of the break room, and immediately went into the dish-washing room to drop off his empty glass, before he jumped back into the animated kitchen. He made sure he wouldn’t crash into anyone as he crossed the room to go and put his apron back on.

He started by washing his hands, wincing at some loud clinking coming from somewhere behind him, as if someone had just dropped a bunch of pans on the floor. Eric reached for his apron, still on the wall hook where he had left it, and turned around. He looked down, focusing on his hands who sneaked behind his back, struggling to tie the black ribbons together.

It was as if the light had suddenly been turned off when someone stepped right in front of him. The boy not so delicately ran a hand through Eric’s hair to straighten it. His little breakdown from earlier must have left his hair a bit messy, and Eric was grateful for the help – he couldn’t look messy in front of customers. As Eric raised his head to find out who was in front of him, he barely had the time to register who it was before Jaehyun grabbed him by the shoulders and spun him around. The older boy grabbed the ribbons from Eric’s fingers and tied them together, pulling them tightly so that they wouldn’t untie themselves.

“There you go, gremlin”, Eric heard the other say.

Okay, so maybe Eric had more than just one fake older brother amongst his friend group. Jaehyun, older than him by 3 years, was the closest to a brother that Eric had ever felt. Everyone often told them that they were the younger/older version of each other. They resembled each other on so many points, even more so ever since the day they had both decided to go and get their hair dyed blonde together. Even if he didn’t show it in the same cute way as their other friends did, Jaehyun care deeply about the younger boy. They understood the way each other’s mind worked, because theirs was just the same. When Jacob had first met their group of friends, the two of them had tricked him into believing that they were actual brothers. They dragged the prank on for an entire week.

Eric looked up to his Jaehyun hyung a lot. Maybe because they were so similar, Eric often found himself following into the older boy’s footsteps. It was thanks to Jaehyun’s goal of becoming an elementary school teacher that Eric had applied in university for a bachelor’s degree to become an English teacher. Eric had watched Jaehyun work his way through his first three years in university, and Eric had gradually started to crave having the same passion as his friend for the field he would study in. When he listened to Jaehyun talk about his classes and internships, he could almost feel his friend’s passion in his own heart, connecting with everything that Jaehyun loved so much about what he was doing.

Jaehyun was probably the closest one in their group to get a professional job. With only one year left in university, he would soon start working, he hoped in Seoul, but you never knew where your fate was going to take you. Seeing him at the restaurant was only natural, but they all knew it wasn’t a long-term thing, his departure would inevitably come with his hire in some elementary school. He didn’t especially have to work, since he had his parents’ full support; they funded his apartment’s rent just like they would for a campus dorm, and they sent him an allowance for him to buy food for himself. Before working for Sangyeon, Jaehyun had never been rolling in money, but he took advantage of having his parents backing him up to focus on his studies. Just like Eric, Jaehyun was a guy who enjoyed messing around, but who could also be extremely dedicated and hard working.

At the taller boy’s words, Eric pulled an annoyed face, but nonetheless thanked the older for tying his apron for him. Jaehyun flashed him a bright and contented smile, no malice behind it despite the insult he’d just thrown at his shorter friend, and walked back farther into the kitchen.

Before Eric knew it, the sun had set on the city and the restaurant had slowly emptied itself out. There was no need for everyone to still be working, but under the promise of free food, many of the boys had stayed inside the small break room to wait for the closing time. Eric was one of the few unlucky ones who were scheduled to work until the end. After what seemed like forever, Sangyeon finally locked the front door and twisted the little wooden board to the side where “closed” was painted in shades of pink and purple.

The rest of the boys piled out of the break room to come and help clean around, so that they could all eat together. Once Eric was done with his task of tidying and cleaning the tables, he headed into the kitchen to see if he could lend a hand somewhere. He first came across a boy with a slender figure, diligently mopping around the dirty tiled floor.

Ji Changmin, the boy who stole Kevin’s heart only a few months ago. Eric had seen a huge transformation in the older ever since he had made official his relationship with the Canadian. He was still the same funny and impulsive guy that Eric had known for years, but whenever he was around his boyfriend, he would soften in impossible ways, even acting _cute_ , something that Eric had never seen him doing.

To Eric, Changmin was one of the coolest guys in the world. The older was signed under a dance company, in who’s building he now possessed his own dance studio. By uploading dance covers on his youtube channel, Changmin was gaining not only money, but recognition, and fans. He was still rather unknown, his channel having a little bit over 100k subscribers, but dancing was Changmin’s passion, and he dedicated all of his spare time to it. On his channel, Changmin also uploaded vlog style videos, always related to dancing in some way, and Eric sometimes appeared in them when he happened to be hanging out with Changmin at his studio on a vlogging day.

Changmin was the ghost-like third roommate of Jaehyun and Juyeon’s apartment. Officially, he still had his room there, and continued to pay his part of the bill on time, but it had been probably a month since he had started staying for longer periods of time over at Kevin and Jacob’s apartment instead. Eric knew it was only a matter of time before Changmin officially moved in with his boyfriend.

“Do you need any help, hyung?” Eric asked.

Changmin looked up and straightened himself to face Eric. “I don’t...”, he trailed. His eyes darted pensively around Eric for a few seconds. Eric was just about to leave him, when he spoke again, a discreet smirk on his face. “But I heard there was a huge pile of dishes left to clean.”

Eric’s face lit up at the thought of being helpful to someone, whoever was in charge of the dishes that day. “On it!” he exclaimed, storming past the dancer to take long strides across the kitchen.

He reached the entrance to the dish-washing room. As he stepped in, he could see exactly who was already in there, back towards him and leaning over the sink. The boy was tall, and lean, and Eric could see from where he was just how amazing his body proportions were; the apron delightfully synched in the boy’s naturally small waist, and his black jeans hugged his long and muscular legs. When the boy moved, Eric could see that he’d rolled up the sleeves of his shirt.

Eric forcefully snapped himself out of the trance he’d gotten into when he realized he had probably been staring for longer than would be acceptable. He took a few more steps, and jumped next to Juyeon, effectively startling the older. Juyeon let go of the plate he was washing, letting it drop into the water with a splash that sent a bit of foam onto his apron. He turned around a bit slowly, and Eric giggled at the surprised expression on his face.

The sound of laughter seemed to click something in Juyeon’s mind, as his expression visibly relaxed, and a smile tug at his lips. “Hey, Youngjae-ah”, he greeted softly, resting his hands on the edge of the sink.

Eric smiled back at him, appearing composed even though his heartbeat was accelerating out of his control. He could hear his heart pound against his chest, overwhelmed by Juyeon’s gentle eyes on him, and the way he so naturally used his Korean name, being the only person in Eric’s life to do so.

Eric had met Juyeon around the same time as when he had met the others. Juyeon was shy, but Eric was really friendly, so the younger had ended up approaching the quiet boy. Juyeon had immediately taken a liking on him, and the two of them had become close in quite a short amount of time. Juyeon was probably the only guy Eric didn’t mind getting babied by, and Juyeon knew that; he used of his privilege to a maximum, because he loved caring for the younger. At first, Eric hadn’t realized he was acting differently towards Juyeon than with all of their other friends, not until Sunwoo had teasingly pointed it out to him. Eric hadn’t realized he liked the attention he was getting from Juyeon, that he liked the softer and caring side of the older boy whenever he was around Eric.

Eric hadn’t realized he had started to grow a crush on Juyeon until several months ago. When his gaze started to observe the small details of Juyeon’s face. The two had met as young teenagers, with their awkwardly developed bodies and their youthful faces. Recently, when Eric took a few seconds to analyze Juyeon, he was taken aback by how well the older had matured. His facial features had defined themselves, his body had grown into shape, and if Juyeon had always been good looking, he was now more than simply attractive. One look from the older would send Eric into a blushing mess, without him being able to understand what was happening.

Eric did his best to overcome the foreign emotions that now hit him whenever he was with Juyeon. He was too young for the older anyway, everyone knew that Eric was Juyeon’s literal baby, as the older always treated him like one. Before he managed to put down the word “crush” onto his feelings, Eric went through a hard time of trying to figure out what was happening to him, and doing his best to stay away from Juyeon in the meantime. What this short period of his life taught him, more than anything, was that Eric couldn’t stand the idea of being away from Juyeon. So, he swallowed down his newly found crush, and did his best to not ruin his friendship with Juyeon. If he still felt a slight panic rising in him whenever Juyeon would get close, or baby him, he hoped he did a good job at hiding it.

(He didn’t, but, he didn’t have to know that.)

“I’m here to help” Eric announced cheerfully. Juyeon’s smile didn’t falter as he tilted his head curiously. “Really?” he asked, amused.

Eric nodded his head. “The quicker we get this done, the quicker we can get food! I’m not doing this just for you.” Eric crosses his arms over his chest, raising an accusing eyebrow at the older.

“Of course not”, Juyeon nodded, looking right into Eric’s eyes with his gentle smile still on.

“So, what can I do?” Eric asked.

Juyeon pointed his chin towards the small counter where plates were piled up almost to the height of Eric’s eyes. “All of these need to be taken back to the kitchen.”

Eric struggled to hide the disappointment on his face. Coming into the back store to help Juyeon, Eric had hoped that would have meant staying behind with the older, somehow, just the two of them in the restaurant otherwise crowded with all their friends. Juyeon noticed the pout that had unconsciously appeared on Eric’s face, and ruffled the blonde’s hair with his still wet hand.

Eric, flustered by the affectionate gesture, straightened his back and composed himself. “I just think it’s unfair, how you get to work with music and I have to carry _all of this_ with my noodle arms!”

Juyeon laughed at the younger’s outburst. He shook his head, and turned back to face the sink, diving his hands back into the water to get back to work. Eric heard him start humming along to the sound that was playing faintly in the background. The blonde huffed silently, and lifted a pile of dry plates from the counter. He walked back into the kitchen, going to drop the plates on the shelves where they usually stored them. He did the same thing a couple of times, until the counter in the dish-washing room was free of dry plates. The last time that Eric came back into the area, only the ones still dripping with water were starting to form some new piles.

Eric’s ears caught the song that Juyeon was listening to. He knew the song very well; it was one of their ultimate favourite songs in common. The blonde couldn’t help but smile at the thought. Juyeon, noticing that Eric had come back, handed him a dry towel, a knowing glint in his eyes.

Eric gladly accepted the towel, and started to dry off the clean plates. From beside him, Juyeon had starting swaying his hips to the rhythm of the song. Eric joined him, careful not to get too excited as he didn’t want to accidentally drop and break a plate. They danced and sang through the rest of the washing session, until in front of Eric were only clean and dry plates, pans and various kitchen tools. Eric and Juyeon carried them together back to the kitchen.

When they came out of the washing area the last time, pretty much everyone else was done with their respective tasks. Only Kevin was left in the kitchen, stirring the food into the last uncleaned cooking pot left. Jacob was just coming to hang up his apron after having rounded up the cash register. Eric and Juyeon did the same, and followed the older into the dining area.

Two of the long tables had been brought together to allow all of the twelve boys to sit together. Eric dropped on a chair next to Sunwoo, and Juyeon seated himself in front of Eric. Few seconds later, Kevin came out of the kitchen with a steaming hot pot in his hands. The boys all started pigging out in between loud discussions and heartfelt laughter.

“Guys, let’s take a group picture!” Sangyeon had stood up, his phone in his hand.

Some groans and protests were heard around the table, mixed with some enthusiastic replies and the scraping of chairs along the tiled floor. Eric was one of the first ones on his feet.

“How do we do this?” Changmin asked.

Sangyeon had an excited smile on his face. “I was thinking we could take it in front of the flower wall!”

The left wall of the dining area was a wall covered in flower art. It was entirely Sangyeon’s idea, and he had worked really hard at putting it all together himself. The result looked really impressive, and it added an extra something to the ambiance of the small restaurant.

Eric hurried towards the wall, where he and some of the other boys started moving tables and chairs around to make some space for the picture. They decided on leaving only one chair in the center for Sangyeon to sit on, and the rest of the boys would stand around him. Jacob had now taken responsibility of Sangyeon’s phone, and was trying to balance it onto a table at a proper angle for the picture. Where they had eaten, Chanhee and Hyunjoon lingered onto their chairs, obviously not delighted at the idea of taking a group picture.

“C’mon, Chanhee!” Changmin called him. “It’s just one picture!”

“Hyunjoon-ah!” Jaehyun called too. “It’s not the same without you!”

Chanhee and Hyunjoon both glanced at each other, before the older sighed loudly and stood up from his chair. He walked over to Hyunjoon, and extended his hand towards him. Hyunjoon smiled softly. He grabbed onto the older boy’s hand, allowing Chanhee to pull him up and drag him towards the rest of their group.

Eric was crouching on the floor, next to Kevin and in front of Haknyeon. The latter had one hand on his shoulder, and Eric’s arm was looped around Kevin’s. When Chanhee and Hyunjoon joined them, Jacob counted down from three, and ran into the frame before the counter he’d set on the phone came off.

On the picture, they all had bright smiles, they radiated the happiness that being together brought them. Sangyeon looked like their proud dad, sat in the middle with Jaehyun on his lap and Younghoon draped around his shoulders. They all looked happy, and at this instant, Sangyeon realized that his dream of starting a family-owned business had sort of come true. He had all of his dearest friends around him, happily helping him out. Things were going great.

In the background of the picture, a pink neon-sign designed into the flower arrangement on the wall, read the words “Flower Snack House”.


	2. jaehyun's new recipe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> jaehyun comes up with a new recipe. spoiler alert: it's not as good as he says it is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not gonna lie, this isn't my favourite chapter, especially since it's at the beginning of the story. However, I do find it gives a good insight into how it's like at the restaurant. 
> 
> I also have to give a disclaimer regarding the whole story: the schooling system is a bit messed up, because it's based on the one I'm in, and it's not really conventional, but it's the only one I know, so I apologize in advance if you get confused with their ages/grade, just go along with it, and if I find that it really confuses people, maybe I'll just add a little chart to explain their grades into a chapter note.

Eric was only supposed to start work at 4, hence why he had decided to take the beginning of the day off and was currently laying in bed in his boxers only, binge watching some recent series on his laptop. It was an excruciatingly hot day for the month of May, and he was sprawled on top of his bed covers to try and keep his body as cool as possible as he rested his head on his arms and stared at his laptop screen.

Suddenly, a few notification alarms broke his focus and made him pause his episode. He brought himself up on his elbows and swiped his phone to unlock it. His group chat with his friends was what had blown up, the oldest unread message being from Sangyeon: “ _Everyone who works later today, if you feel like coming in earlier, we’d greatly appreciate the help. Also, if anyone else wants to come in today, you’re welcome as well. We’re a bit overwhelmed.”_ A few of the other boys had replied positively to the request, and Eric quickly typed a “ _On my way!”_ before jumping out of bed. He did enjoy chilled-out days once in a while, but if he was honest, he very much preferred to be in the center of the action. If his friends needed help to hold the restaurant, he never hesitated before rushing over there.

He threw on some work-appropriate clothes, some black jeans and an oversized white t-shirt, before running out of the house and skateboarding all the way to the shop. He was at the restaurant in under fifteen minutes and his jaw dropped when he noticed the queue stretching far past the shop’s entrance. Through the windows, he quickly spotted Haknyeon and Jacob, who were running in every direction, almost bumping into each other. Eric made his way into the store and was immediately met by Jacob’s relieved face.

“Oh, Eric-ah, thank god you’re here.” He smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes from how tired he looked. “I don’t know if you can see, but we really need some extra help.”

Eric chuckled. “I can see that. I’ll be ready in two minutes, hyung!”

He executed his pre-work routine pretty quickly, finishing up with washing his hands and grabbing a pad to take orders on. He reappeared into the dining area and immediately got to work. With now three waiters, the workload got divided in a way that still made everyone busy, but Jacob and Haknyeon now had room to breathe, at least. The constant beeping of machines coming from the kitchens was a good indicator of the struggles that those boys were also having. Coming to think of it, Eric hadn’t even had the chance to check who was working in there today.

A few hours later, Eric was lazily wiping already clean tables while staring out of the large windows of the shop. Droplets of rain were hitting it quietly and slowly dripping down. A few passers-by struggled to keep their umbrellas over their head as the strong wind gave them a rough time. Except for a few couples and a bunch of reckless teenagers, no one had come in to the shop in over an hour, probably due to the sudden weather change. The change in atmosphere at the restaurant had been drastic, the shop emptying out completely in nearly half an hour. Eric had been cleaning tables for probably over twenty minutes now, boredom fully kicked-in. But Sangyeon was in today, and even though he’d locked himself in his office, Eric knew he shouldn’t leave his spot to go hang out in the kitchens. A thought that killed him, because Kevin and Jaehyun were in for the dinner shift, and Eric felt like he hadn’t seen the two in weeks, as all of them were caught-up in their preparations for their last exams.

“Eric!” a voice brought him out of his daydream.

He turned around, almost dropping his washing cloth, only to see Jaehyun waving at him from behind the kitchen counter. He was asking him to come over, and although Eric knew Sangyeon was never too far, he thought a few minutes could be no harm. The dining area was empty, anyway. The boy quickly made his way past the kitchen doors, where the sparkly clean kitchen was filled with a curious smell. Eric sniffed, eyebrows frowning. Jaehyun had gone back to his working station, while Kevin was pre-cooking some sauce for one of the restaurant’s main dishes.

Suddenly, Jaehyun was in front of him, a small bowl in his hand.

“A gift from the house” he smiled, and Eric glanced curiously at the content of the bowl. He had no idea what the food being handed to him was, and if he was being honest, it didn’t look too appealing. With an awkward smile and a wave of the hand, Eric pushed the bowl back towards Jaehyun, who pouted, and set the bowl down onto a nearby surface.

“What is it?” Eric inquired, making the pout on Jaehyun’s face disappear instantly.

“Currently, it’s an experiment”, Jaehyun explained cheerfully. “Fried veggies with spicy sauce. Try it! I promise it’s good.”

Eric eyed the abandoned bowl. His eyes darted back to Jaehyun, gauging him suspiciously. “What did you put in them?”

Jaehyun let out an exasperated sigh. “I’m not poisoning you, Eric-ah! I just need you to approve of my recipe. I’ve tried it myself already, if knowing can make you feel better.”

It didn’t, but, in front of Jaehyun’s pleading eyes, Eric didn’t stand a chance. Jaehyun always knew how to turn Eric in into his shenanigans.

“Look, I’ll eat one too so you can relax”, Jaehyun offered.

He picked up the bowl, and grabbed a fried piece in between his fingers. He held the bowl towards Eric, and the younger barely hesitated before grabbing one too, lightly dipping it in the bright red sauce. The two boys clinked fried vegetables, and closed their mouths on them at the same time. The juice from the vegetable exploded into Eric’s mouth, mixing with the spicy sauce and the grease of the frying, creating an unexpected but savory flavour. Eric’s eyes widened at the taste, and he swallowed everything.

“Hyung!” he exclaimed. “That’s actually really good!”

Jaehyun smiled proudly, shoving the bowl into Eric’s hands. The younger immediately started munching on the rest of the fried bits.

A muffled laughter coming from behind Jaehyun caught Eric by surprise. Eric glanced over to where Kevin’s back was facing him and Jaehyun, and the bright screen of a phone grabbed his attention. Eric took a better look at what seemed to be Kevin’s phone, placed on the low counter, and what appeared to be the top of Changmin’s hair showing on the screen. A hand waved in front of the camera.

“Hi Eric!” It was definitely Changmin’s voice. Eric rolled his eyes at the fact that Kevin was, once again, video chatting with Changmin while at work, but he waved back at the dancer nonetheless.

“Hi hyung!”

“You should just swing by.” Kevin whined at Changmin. “It’s so boring here.”

“Hey!” Eric loudly protested. “If you cared about anything other than Changmin then maybe you’d realize that it can be fun working even if he’s not here. For instance, _I’m_ here.”

“Sorry Eric, but I’ve heard that it’s come to a point where Hyunjae hyung has resorted to frying whatever he has at hand to try and see if it would taste good”, Changmin replied instead of Kevin. “Sounds like boredom to me.”

Kevin chuckled, and glanced down at his phone. “Are you almost done with your essay?”

Changmin hummed. “Just my conclusion left, then, I’m all yours.”

Eric nearly gagged, and looked away just before Kevin would start blushing. Eric glanced over to Jaehyun, who halted all movements, staring back at Eric with wide eyes and stuffed cheeks.

“Did you just steal the food you _gave me_ from me?” Eric asked in disbelief.

“I couldn’t help it”, he protested with his still half-full mouth. “It’s so good! Not my fault I’m such a good chef.”

Jaehyun smirked, before beginning to chew again. Eric placed down the now empty bowl with a roll of the eyes.

The small bell hung over the entrance door saved Jaehyun from Eric’s inevitable snarky reply. Grumbling under his breath, Eric ran to the dining area to greet the new customers. A young-looking couple had just come in, their clothes soaking wet from the pouring rain. Eric sat them down at a table and handed them a menu. He came back to them with glasses of cold water, before leaving again to pretend to busy himself as he waited for them to decide on what to order. He could hear some faint bickering coming from the kitchens, but the two boys were keeping it too low so that Eric couldn’t decipher the point of the argument.

After the couple had given him their order, Eric communicated it to Kevin and decided to just lean over the counter to watch his friends prepare the food. Kevin was working hard on the noodles, but Jaehyun had soon finished making their drinks. Despite having to focus on the food, Kevin started up some quick chat with Eric in English, occasionally pausing himself to check on the food, and on Changmin, who seemed to be busy on the other end of the call. Too caught up in the discussion, Kevin failed to notice a mischievous-looking Jaehyun moving around in the back of the kitchen.

“All done!” Kevin exclaimed, slipping the plates onto a tray. Before he could lift it up to place it on the high counter for Eric to pick up, Jaehyun smoothly placed a small bowl on it, smiling proudly. Jaehyun winked at Eric, who easily understood the message.

It’s not that Kevin hadn’t noticed their unsubtle actions, but he currently did not have the energy to fight the both of them about it. He didn’t agree on this, but he was quick to give up. There was no way he would be able to overtake an Eric & Jaehyun alliance.

Eric walked through the dining room with the tray in his hands, and carefully placed the food down in front of the couple. Hesitantly, he briefly looked over to the kitchen. Jaehyun shot him two thumbs up, while Kevin disapprovingly shook his head. Eric turned back to the couple, putting on his sweet smile.

“We added an extra side dish just for you guys”, he said, pointing to the bowl of Jaehyun’s food experiment. “It’s a gift from the house!” he quickly added, recalling Jaehyun’s words from earlier.

The couple awkwardly thanked him, and Eric wished them a nice meal, before retreating back to the kitchen. Kevin stared at him, arms crossed over his chest, while Jaehyun silently cheered next to him.

About half an hour later, Eric finished collecting the couple’s payment, and moved to clean their table. He brought the tray back into the kitchen, and Jaehyun was in front of him the second he pushed past the doors.

“Wait, they didn’t eat it?” he shrieked, staring at the bowl, still full with fried vegetables. Only one piece laid on top of the pile, half-eaten.

“At least they tried it?” Eric remarked, hesitantly.

Jaehyun was whining, taking the bowl from the tray that Eric was still holding and going to throw out the leftovers himself. Eric chuckled and followed him to the dish-washing area at the back of the kitchen. He dropped the tray onto the counter for dirty dishes, and they walked back into the kitchen.

“Ugh, if only we had asked for their opinion before they left”, Jaehyun sighed.

Kevin sent him a look. “You know you’re not even supposed to do this”, he accused.

“What, talk to customers?” Jaehyun deadpanned.

“No, give them random side dishes that barely took you two minutes to come up with.”

“I was bored!” Jaehyun exclaimed. “I wanted to try making something new, for a change. Our menu is so repetitive.”

“Keep in mind big boss is still in his office” Kevin warned with a laugh, turning back towards his phone, and resumed chatting with his boyfriend.

Jaehyun made a face of realisation and brought his voice down, turning to Eric. “You know what we’re gonna do? We’re going to wait until the next customers have taken their orders, and while they are hungry and waiting for their food, I’m going to sneak in and make them try the veggies. How does that sound?”

“Sounds like a plan!” Eric replied enthusiastically.

Jaehyun immediately shushed him. “Not so loud! If Sangyeon or Kevin hear us, they will never let me do it.”

The two of them glanced towards the Canadian. Luckily, Kevin didn’t seem to have listened to them, as he was now laughing with Changmin.

“What if the next customers don’t like your recipe?” Eric asked as Jaehyun plopped himself onto one of the stools of the bar section of the kitchen. Eric sat down on the other one next to him.

“Then, I’ll just have to come up with something better, a new sauce maybe. But hey, don’t say that! They _will_ like it.”

“And if they do?”

“Then I can ask Sangyeon hyung about putting my recipe on the menu!” Jaehyun replied excitedly.

It was only a few minutes later when the entrance door opened again, making Eric sprint to the dining area to welcome the newcomers. This time, a small group of friends came in, speaking loudly and creating a mess on the floor with their muddy shoes. Where did they even step in mud, in the center of Seoul? Eric shook off his nearly clean-freak urges and welcomed them in politely. He made a mental note to mop the floor as soon as they’d step a foot out of the shop, though. He served them efficiently; despite being dirty, they weren’t difficult customers and Eric enjoyed chatting with them as the fourth person of their group still struggled on deciding what to get.

A while later, after he’d brought them their food, Eric headed towards the kitchen. He sat back down on one of the stools and sighed in exhaustion. Okay, maybe he was being a little dramatic, but being less busy made his shift feel like an eternity, and that thought alone _was_ enough to exhaust him. As he took out his phone, he didn’t notice the exchange of looks between the two cooks, and he didn’t even see as Jaehyun walked out of the kitchen, a clean and new apron on and two full bowls in his hands. The only thing that made him look up from his text messages was the concerned voice of Sangyeon echoing through the kitchens.

“Guys, where’s Hyunjae?” he asked, his head peaking out of his office.

Eric scrambled to put his phone back in his pocket and hurriedly stood up. Kevin pretended to look around, an innocent expression on his face.

“Maybe he just went to the bathroom?” Eric suggested.

Eric and Sangyeon’s heads simultaneously turned to the employees’ bathroom, the door being wide open.

Suddenly, Sangyeon caught a glimpse of Jaehyun’s blonde hair shining from the dining room. He walked closer to the counter separating the two rooms and frowned.

“What is he doing?” Sangyeon asked, a slight panic audible in his voice.

Eric immediately caught on to what Jaehyun was doing.

“Ah, you know how he is.” The youngest tried to sound nonchalant. “He probably just went to say hi to friends, or whatever.”

Then, as the three of them looked up to check back on Jaehyun, one of the customers’ face turned into a disgusted expression. The teenage-looking girl stood up, flipping her purple dyed hair before throwing her glass of water at Jaehyun’s face.

Kevin and Eric’s jaws dropped. Sangyeon was quick on the move, hiding his balled fists behind his back to walk calmly into the dining room. The girl had started yelling at Jaehyun, something about “poisoning my girlfriend” and “calling the police”. Jaehyun was frozen in place, water dripping down his hair and his nose. The shoulders of his plain white t shirt were soaking wet. Eric could see Sangyeon approaching the scene and putting a hand around Jaehyun’s shoulder. As his friends’ backs were facing him, he couldn’t tell what Sangyeon – or Jaehyun – was saying, but the purple-haired girl’s face eventually turned from downright angry to simply annoyed. She huffed out, grabbed the girl sat next to her by the arm and stormed out of the shop. The girl and the boy left at the table handed a few bills to Sangyeon before bowing and leaving as well.

Silence installed itself in the small restaurant. The tension had vanished, but the boys were almost all too shocked to move. Sangyeon was the first to reactivate, walking to the entrance door and turning the “open” sign to its “closed” side. He took a seat at a different table, his head hung low as he waved at the boys to come and join him. Eric and Kevin exchanged looks before leaving the kitchen and sitting down across from their friend. Jaehyun slowly sat down next to the oldest, water still dripping from his damp hair.

“Can someone tell me why I’ve just had to convince one of our customers to not call the cops on us?” Sangyeon asked in the calmest tone he could gather.

The three boys looked at each other. Eric felt a pang of guilt in his chest. Even though the whole events weren’t entirely his fault, he still had encouraged Jaehyun about some of it and felt extremely guilty about what had happened. Carefully, Jaehyun turned to face Sangyeon.

“I’m sorry hyung.” He mumbled, barely making eye contact with the older. “It was all me. I was bored, I wanted to try a new recipe, but I didn’t think of the consequences.”

Sangyeon sighed deeply. Before he could say anything, the sound of the bell interrupted him and made the four boys look towards the door. A very confused Haknyeon stared right back at them, his backpack hung low on his shoulder and his earphones plugged in his ears. He hurriedly took them out and stuffed them inside his hoodie’s pocket, his head tilting slightly to the side.

“What’s going on?” he asked. “Why are we closed?”

Sangyeon shook his head. He pushed his chair back and stood up. “Haknyeon-ah, just go and get ready for your shift. Kevin, please help Eric clean the mess. And Jaehyun, you’re coming with me.”

Jaehyun gulped, his eyes opening wide at Sangyeon’s words. Eric gasped quietly and covered his mouth with his hands. No one in their friend group ever called Jaehyun by his real name, unless... unless they were angry enough at him to drop the affectionate nickname they had all adopted for him. Sangyeon and Jaehyun followed Haknyeon and disappeared in the kitchen. Eric and Kevin both turned to the abandoned table, still half full with food and covered in water and spilled fried vegetables. They both groaned at the same time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise juric comes in next chapter ;)


	3. jacob's guitar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacob playing guitar for the boys, as seen through Sangyeon's eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting to the juric, everyone! 
> 
> Today's disclaimer: some of the drinking behaviours seen in this chapter are not safe. Please don't try to drown your friends in a pool if you are drinking.

In order to celebrate the sixth monthly anniversary of the restaurant, Sangyeon had arranged an evening for everyone to hang out at Chanhee’s parents’ house. Six months wasn’t _that_ important of an anniversary, but it was half a year, and Sangyeon thought it would be a good idea to gather everyone for the occasion. He also knew that most of his friends would be entering their school finals soon, so the timing was just perfect, since currently no one was too busy with anything.

He was closing the restaurant today with Jaehyun and Eric, who he’d be driving to Chanhee’s house, since the place was quite far away. The advantages of going there were the immense pool and private backyard that the family owned in the suburbs, a luxury that Sangyeon’s city apartment couldn’t offer. Chanhee was always up for hosting parties, anyway, and his parents were away most of the time.

Sangyeon was working in the kitchens with Jaehyun, and Eric took care of the customers by himself. It wasn’t a busy evening, it was a day just like every other day, so the boys were working in a relaxed state. Ever since the new recipe incident, Jaehyun was acting careful around Sangyeon, something that the older couldn’t not notice, and it was bothering him. He had tried to talk about it with the younger, of course, but Jaehyun had just shrugged it off. He kept being on edge around Sangyeon at the restaurant, but the older was telling himself that Jaehyun was still himself outside of work, at least.

Losing his friends had been one of Sangyeon’s major fears before opening Flower Snack Shop. He knew that by being their boss he was creating a new kind of relationship between them, and he hated it, but there was no way around it. Still, he promised himself to always put friendship first, and that if things started to get out of hand, he’d fix that before caring about business.

When Eric locked the front door, right on closing time, the trio jumped to their tasks right away. Sangyeon couldn’t help but find it amusing how the other two were so similarly excited at the idea of meeting up with all their friends, and how badly that prospective was motivating them to work. Whilst Sangyeon rounded up the register, Eric finished cleaning up the dining room in record time. When Sangyeon walked through the kitchen to get to his office, he smiled fondly at the sight of Eric toddling behind Jaehyun, making himself helpful whenever the older requested something from him. They kept bickering, but their usual loud laughter reminded Sangyeon that this was how their friendship worked. The pair truly reminded him of brothers.

Finally, Sangyeon reached his office, where he began filling up the few report sheets for the day. Through the security cameras, he followed Jaehyun as he ran after Eric all the way to the back of the store, almost dropping the dirty plates he was carrying. Sangyeon’s jaw dropped when he saw Eric splashing Jaehyun with soapy water, making the older yell so loud that the shout pierced through Sangyeon’s office door. Sangyeon burst out laughing, not before promising himself to make Eric clean up the mess he’d made before they’d leave. He had to use the last strand of self-control he had left in him to refrain himself from scolding Eric like he would scold a 5-year-old, though.

Especially when his two friends barged into his office, hair and clothes soaked from their little fight.

“We’re done!” Jaehyun loudly announced.

“Can we go now?” Eric chirped in from behind Jaehyun.

Sangyeon leaned back in his chair, folding his arms on his chest. He had to hold back a laugh at the sight of the two overly energetic boys in front of him. “First I think you’ll need to mop again” Sangyeon said, trying to look as serious as possible.

He didn’t hold on for long, though, as he was quickly faced with two pouting boys.

“There are barely droplets on the floor”, Jaehyun protested with a whine. And just like that, Sangyeon knew Jaehyun was back to acting normal around him.

“It will dry up overnight anyway!” Eric argued at the same time.

Sangyeon gave them a shake of the head. “With the two of you on it, it’s not gonna take more than two minutes to clean up. Then, we can go.”

His two friends exchanged looks, grumbling between them and left the office, not before Eric shot Sangyeon his most menacing glare. The gesture only made Sangyeon chuckle, as he got up to follow behind them. He turned off the lights and made a last check of the restaurant to make sure they hadn’t forgotten anything. Jaehyun and Eric came to join him in the dining room, their few belongings with them, and the trio stepped out into the chilly night.

“Shotgun!” Eric and Jaehyun yelled at the same time. Jaehyun playfully shoved the younger, a clear way of provoking him, but instead of biting back, Eric sprinted forwards onto the sidewalk, heading straight for Sangyeon’s car which was only a few meters away.

The street was lit up by lampposts, the sun having set a few hours ago. Sangyeon felt the cool air slip up inside his jacket as he locked the restaurant’s door behind them. Eric was walking – running – ahead of them in just his shorts, and even though he did have a hoodie pulled over his head, Sangyeon worried that his friend would catch a cold, especially if they were going to hang out outside at Chanhee’s house.

“Eric-ah”, he called as Jaehyun and him caught up to the younger, who was eagerly waiting by the passenger door.

As soon as Sangyeon unlocked the vehicle, Eric emitted a victorious sound, completely ignoring Sangyeon, and Jaehyun slipped into the backseat with a disappointed groan. Sangyeon took the driver seat and turned to Eric.

“Do you want to stop at your house so you can grab warmer clothes?” Sangyeon offered.

“It’s not _that_ cold, dad” Eric reassured him with an eyeroll.

“For someone who complains every winter that he ‘wasn’t raised for this’, I think you’re being a bit too brave, kiddo” Jaehyun teased from the back of the car. Eric reached backwards to try to smack him, only reaching his knee. Jaehyun yelped at the slap, but his smirk stayed on.

“Please don’t fight when I’m driving”, Sangyeon begged, almost helplessly. There was nothing he could do against Jaehyun and Eric’s energy.

With the other two promising to behave well, Sangyeon finally started the car. The drive ended up being more chaotic than Sangyeon’s usual solo trips, but that was mostly due to his friends’ constant arguing, and not to them physically coming at each other’s throats, which was some sort of a win for the older, or so he tried to convince himself.

A few cars were already parked in the spacious driveway when they got to the house, forcing Sangyeon to park down the road. From a quick look, he could already tell that everyone had arrived; Changmin, Younghoon and Juyeon’s cars were all there, and when they’d planned their evening, those three had been the ones to provide the rides for everyone, as well as Sangyeon.

They could hear faint music playing and some animated chatter coming from the backyard as they neared the modest house. They walked directly to the back of the house, Sangyeon smoothly unlocking the gate, and they found their friends all sat together on Chanhee’s half-moon outdoor couch, with chairs put together at the end of it to create a circle around the modern camp fire. Well, half of the group were. The rest of them were splashing around in the pool, not so far from the lounging area. The large swimming area was lit in neon colours as usual, this time set to the dark purple setting. Sangyeon hadn’t even reached the beginning of the concrete terrace when an almost naked Eric rushed past him, jumping straight into the pool with a big splash. Jaehyun joined Sangyeon on the terrace, carrying Eric’s hoodie, shorts and shoes in his hands.

After greeting the seated boys, Sangyeon sat down on an empty chair next to Younghoon, who was curled up on the end bit of the couch. Jaehyun took the chair beside him, carelessly dropping Eric’s clothes onto the concrete ground and tossing them under his own chair with his foot.

Sangyeon took a few seconds to properly take notice of his friends around him. Next to him, Younghoon was having a quiet but animated discussion with Chanhee, the two of them sipping on drinks Sangyeon couldn’t identify. On the other side of the pink haired boy, Jacob munched on a bag of chips, snuggled under a blanket. Hyunjoon, phone in hand, was asking him about the next song he should play on his speaker. Jaehyun smugly joined the conversation, and Sangyeon felt immensely grateful when he noticed that his hyper energetic friend had lowered his voice as to not disrupt the relaxed atmosphere around the fire.

Over at the pool, Eric jumping in took everyone by surprise, as they had not seen him run towards them, considering how dark the night was. The boy landed right in the middle of the pool, almost crashing into Changmin, but the older had good enough reflexes to duck out of the way.

Eric’s head had barely emerged back up from his jump that he was being pushed back under water. He had a split second to recognize Sunwoo’s red hair, illuminated by the purple lighting of the pool, before he was submerged again, fighting with his best friend to be let back up. The older let him go rather quickly, and Eric gasped for air as soon as he could, rubbing the water out of his eyes. He smacked Sunwoo at the back of the head, to which Sunwoo responded with a grin and a light punch to Eric’s shoulder.

Eric finally had a look around the pool. At a few feet distance around Sunwoo and himself, they had an audience composed of Haknyeon, Changmin, Kevin and Juyeon, who had simply been laughing at the younger boys’ antics. Changmin, Kevin and Juyeon all held beer cans in their hands. Upon noticing that Eric was now safe and breathing, Juyeon took a sip on his almost empty drink, throwing his wet hair back in the process. Eric felt his cheeks heat up at the sight in front of him – _Juyeon_ , his friend on who he had recently developed a hopeless crush, shirtless, exposing his neck as he gulped, his prominent Adam’s apple bobbing up and down as water trickled down his skin. He couldn’t stare for long, Sunwoo punching him, harder this time. Eric instantly snapped back into reality, grateful that his best friend would bring him back to his senses before Juyeon would catch him staring for so embarrassingly long.

Unfortunately for Eric, Sunwoo hadn’t been the only one to catch him. He quickly noticed the devilish smile that had formed on Changmin’s face. The dancer, an arm draped around Kevin, leaned in to whisper something into his lover’s ear, who laughed and nodded. Changmin unwrapped his arm from around Kevin, and raised his beer can in the air. “I call for chicken fights! Couples together!”

Haknyeon jumped up excitedly, splashing around to get to Sunwoo. “You guys don’t stand a chance!” the short boy shouted, linking arms with Sunwoo on the red-head’s right side, while Eric was still standing at his left one.

He was a heartbeat too slow at realising what was happening. All drinks discarded on the side of the pool, Eric watched as Changmin helped Kevin climb up his shoulders, ducking his head under water for a few seconds in the process, and emerging back to let Kevin rise up in the air. The Canadian shrieked as the cold air hit his exposed skin, but he couldn’t cover himself as he was holding onto Changmin’s shoulders for dear life. Changmin still looked like he possessed all of his strength despite the alcohol, but Kevin was definitely more of a light-weight, already looking unstable on Changmin’s shoulders.

Next to Eric, Sunwoo and Haknyeon started moving quickly as well, which only left Eric frozen in place. He turned his head towards Juyeon, still in the same spot farther away, already staring right back at him. The older was biting his lips, looking hesitant, but under the purple glow of the pool lights, he looked so good Eric wanted Sunwoo to punch him again, or he would lose it.

Haknyeon was already a giggling mess up in the air, and Eric still hadn’t moved.

“Yah, will you cowards not participate?” Changmin yelled at them.

Eric was suddenly pushed forward by Sunwoo’s hand he extended to press against his back. Eric stumbled forward in the water, but Sunwoo hadn’t pushed hard enough to actually make him fall. “C’mon, chickens”, Sunwoo teased with a laugh.

Eric’s eyes met Juyeon’s in front of him. Eric and Juyeon were both usually so competitive, but the situation they were in made Eric lose all of his usual will to fight his friends. He couldn’t do it, he couldn’t be in such close contact with Juyeon’s naked skin, he couldn’t sit his _naked_ thighs on Juyeon’s very much naked and gorgeously muscular shoulders. His heartbeat quickened as the thoughts begun to spin in his head, he couldn’t do it, he couldn’t–

“Let’s show them, Youngjae-ah!” Juyeon’s determined shout knocked the air out of his lungs.

Sunwoo’s laughs came to his ears like a taunt. He had a pretty good feeling his best friend was having a lot of fun looking at his reaction, but he couldn’t bring himself to shut him up, not when Juyeon was suddenly right in front of him, looking at him with his elegantly deep eyes, a confident grin adorning his lips. Eric willed himself not to look further down. He gulped.

“Y-yeah!” he tried to confidently shout back, but his attempt came out as a pathetic stuttered exclamation instead.

Juyeon’s smile didn’t falter. The taller turned around, and crouched down to bring his shoulders and some part of his neck under the water. Eric blinked.

“Ugh, hurry!” Changmin complained, frustrated by how long they took.

Eric felt his cheeks heat up. He really hoped the purple lighting and the darkness of the night were enough to hide it if his face really was becoming as red as he was picturing it.

Breathing in to gather some courage, he took a step forward. He placed his hands onto Juyeon’s shoulders for support, and almost had to back away at the incredible sensation that the contact of the muscled skin under his hands brought him, even under water. Juyeon, tilted backwards, was looking at him expectantly, but immediately started frowning when Eric made no other move to help himself onto his shoulders.

“We don’t have to do this if it’s the heights you’re scared of”, he said, low enough that their other friends wouldn’t hear.

Eric quickly shook his head. “No, we have to show them who’s king!” he quickly said, trying to garner some assurance. The content smile that Juyeon gave in return was enough to do the trick.

He passed a leg around Juyeon’s left shoulder, feeling the older instantly wrap a hand around his calf. He leaned his back onto the water for support, using the fact that he was floating to lift his other leg from the bottom of the pool, and settle it onto Juyeon as well. With Juyeon’s firm grip on him, they emerged from the water, and Eric was suddenly high in the air, at equal height with Kevin and Haknyeon.

Eric almost felt bad to be fighting against these two, arguably the softest people he knew. He would have had much more built-up strength at fighting the two boys below them, but if that was how things were going to be, he hoped the two couples were ready for a crushing defeat.

He first lunged at Haknyeon, who was the closest to his right. Juyeon moved perfectly below him, bringing them close enough, and retreating back as Haknyeon threw his hands forward. Eric stuck his tongue out at the older’s failed attempt. They gripped each other, pushed and pulled, Juyeon and Sunwoo shouting encouraging words to their respective partners in the middle of giving each other challenging stares. Eric ended the game when he grabbed a solid hold of Haknyeon’s upper arm, shouting Juyeon a “move back!” before he pulled his friends forward, making both him and Sunwoo lose their balance and fall into the water.

“Yes Youngjae!” Juyeon shouted excitedly, smacking his leg in encouragement. Eric barely had time to process the harsh touch so close to his sensitive area that Juyeon was already on the move again. Eric gritted his teeth to prepare for his next fight as Changmin and Kevin were getting closer as well.

“You’ve got this Kev’!” Changmin screamed, a bit too loudly for his boyfriend who was just above him. Kevin stared at Eric and made a show of flexing his arms, kissing his not-so-muscular biceps just as a ridiculous attempt at scaring Eric away. Eric ran a hand through his wet hair, and braced himself for the attack. As Kevin was now right in front of him, Eric noticed the way the skin of the older’s pale chest was littered with love bites. He nearly gagged at the image, but he had another priority in the fight that was about to unfold.

“To the left!” he quickly told Juyeon, but both of them were exactly on the same wavelength.

As Kevin was getting ready to grab Eric on the blonde’s left side, Juyeon took a step to the right, and Eric grabbed Kevin’s unsuspecting arm. The pull took the Canadian off-guard, and he almost fell right then and there, if it hadn’t been for Changmin holding him up.

Kevin gave Eric a smirk. “ _Okay, I see how it is_ ”, he said in English. _“Wanna play dirty? It’s too bad you can’t see how kissable his lips look, right in between your thighs like that.”_

And Eric, taken off-guard by Kevin’s sudden drunken confidence, fell right into his friend’s trap, glancing down at the top of Juyeon’s head as if he would be able to see anything. Kevin pushed him in one, strong motion, making him fall backwards, and bringing Juyeon under water with him.

When they came back up, Eric was more than embarrassed. Juyeon, totally unsuspecting of whatever Kevin had just said, was laughing at the expression of disbelief on Eric’s face, poking his cheek to try and cheer him up. But Eric’s mind was racing with so many thoughts that his body wasn’t reacting anymore. In front of them, Changmin was gently helping Kevin down and laughing excitedly. “That was so cool, what the fuck babe, what did you even tell him?”

Kevin bit back the growing smile on his face, leaning into Changmin’s ear to whisper exactly what he had told Eric, but translated into Korean. Changmin’s eyes widened, and he burst out in laughter, lovingly slapping Kevin’s chest.

“Uh, we want to be in on the joke, too”, Sunwoo protested, swimming over to the rest of their friends with Haknyeon hanging around his back.

Eric could feel their gaze burn on him. He prayed that Kevin wouldn’t reveal it to everyone – Juyeon couldn’t know, or he’d be in so much trouble. Kevin just shrugged, exchanging a knowing look with Sunwoo and Haknyeon. “Oh, I think you guys have a pretty good idea already”, he said, then winking. Next to Eric, Juyeon looked more confused than ever, and Eric just wished for the water to swallow him when Sunwoo and Haknyeon both started making wavy eyebrows at him.

About half an hour later, Sangyeon saw the boys in the pool starting to come out one by one. Juyeon joined them first, drying his body off with a towel. He reached for his clothes, spread over the couch, and got dressed before sitting down on his reserved spot. Kevin and Changmin arrived next, secretly laughing together, already dressed up. Haknyeon followed soon after them, dressed as well and taking a seat on the couch. It took a few minutes for the last two, and also their two youngest friends, to arrive as well. Sunwoo and Eric almost ran towards the circle, loudly screaming some incomprehensible things at each other, and if Sangyeon squinted, he could have sworn that Eric almost looked angry, while Sunwoo was laughing his ass off. After fighting with Jaehyun to get his clothes back, Eric stood around, searching for an empty spot. Sangyeon noticed the silent discussion between Chanhee and Haknyeon to get Haknyeon to quickly switch seats, leaving the last spot available to Eric to be one on the couch, between Juyeon and Changmin. The younger didn’t seem to notice anything weird, simply sitting down in the empty space.

Maybe it was that there was so much going on, but Sangyeon didn’t notice when stares were exchanged and Jacob and Kevin got up to sit together. He also had no idea where Jacob had taken that guitar case from, but he couldn’t tear his eyes off the boy as he started to get ready to play, or so it seemed. Kevin was helping him tune in the instrument, and soon everyone’s curious stares were glued on the Canadians. The silence that had gradually fell onto the group was almost enchanting.

When Jacob hit the first chords, it was as if a magical bubble had just wrapped around the group of friends. A warmth spread through Sangyeon’s chest at the sight of the serene expression on Jacob’s face as he stroked a few notes as a warm up. Jacob was turned slightly towards Kevin, and Kevin had his knees turned towards Jacob, too. Sangyeon liked where this was going.

When they started singing, some song in English that Sangyeon thought he recognized from before, it was as if the world around them had stopped turning. Jacob and Kevin were looking at each other, they looked relaxed, in their own element, enjoying the beautiful harmonies that they were creating. Smiles had appeared around the circle, some like Chanhee and Younghoon had even closed their eyes to better enjoy the performance. If Sangyeon didn’t know Kevin was dating Changmin, he would have mistaken the Canadians for a couple by the way they were looking at each other, softly singing words that no one else (well, except Eric) could understand. However, as Sangyeon took a look at Changmin, he was met with the sight of the younger’s enamoured eyes. He had his knees folded under his chin and a lovestruck look on his face. As Sangyeon paid more attention, he saw Kevin stealing glances at the boy, aiming his lyrics towards his boyfriend even though he couldn’t understand, but the impact on Changmin seemed to be just the same.

As the two begun another song, Sangyeon’s attention shifted back to Jacob. Sangyeon definitely knew that Jacob could play, the boy was a producer after all, but in all the years he’d known him, it was his first time actually seeing him play. He’d also heard him sing before, but today was the first time he saw Jacob _perform_ , and it did something to him. Sangyeon couldn’t understand a word of the song Jacob was singing so passionately, but as he let himself be drowned by the melody, he couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to have them aimed at _him,_ just like how Kevin was singing for Changmin.

Sangyeon was also really impressed by the silent confidence that radiated from Jacob. His friend usually couldn’t bear to be the center of attention, even amongst their group of friends, probably the reason why he had never sung for them before, and now there he was, providing everyone with beautiful and natural music. The little show ended after the fourth song or so, after Changmin had broken into tears and Kevin had almost jumped over the fire to go embrace his boyfriend. After it became clear that Kevin wouldn’t come back to sing, being too busy fussing over Changmin, Jacob took a look around the circle.

“Anyone else wants to sing?” he asked, his delicate voice hitting Sangyeon straight in the heart.

Jacob played a few notes, before he looked up again. His head was tilted towards Chanhee, as a question, but the boy’s cheeks quickly turned as pink as his hair as he violently shook his hands in front of him.

“Sangyeon hyung can sing”, Haknyeon’s voice broke the silence.

All eyes turned to him, and Sangyeon’s face flushed. He wanted to deny the invitation Jacob was silently giving him through his hopeful expression; how could Sangyeon sing next to a beautiful angel such as Jacob? There was no way he could do it.

Before he could actually manage to convince himself that he wouldn’t be able to sing with Jacob, Jaehyun gave him a little push in the back. “Show us what you got, hyung!” he cheered, before bringing his beer to his lips.

Sangyeon shot him a death glare, but walked all the way around the circle to take Kevin’s previous spot on the couch. His friends clapped as encouragements, but the nerve building inside of him wasn’t really from having to sing. His mind was messed up, he suddenly was seeing Jacob under a new light, one that sent butterflies all through his stomach, and now he had to sing with the boy? He awkwardly cleared his throat and turned towards Jacob, their eyes meeting for the first time in the night. Jacob had the prettiest smile on as he waited for Sangyeon to give him a sign to start. Sangyeon blinked a few times, then gave him a nod. As the chords hit, Sangyeon started to sing, and Jacob followed along with his guitar. It didn’t seem like the guitarist knew the song Sangyeon chose to sing, but he accompanied it perfectly with his soft background melody.

Sangyeon couldn’t focus on anything other than the boy right next to him. He couldn’t hear his friends whispering to each other, or his own singing voice, even. He had no idea if he was singing off key, if the words he belted were even making sense, but Jacob was still stealing glances at him, his precious smile enough for Sangyeon to want to hold onto the moment forever.

But the moment was over in a whim. Before Sangyeon could pull himself back together, the distinct sound of clapping slowly came to him. He lifted his head, already dying in embarrassment, but already everyone had moved on. No one was looking at him anymore, as they were all hurriedly stopping their clapping and making shushing motions to one another.

When Sangyeon noticed the new star of the show, a warm feeling tug at his heart. Everyone was looking over to the other side of the couch, where Eric had fallen asleep on Juyeon’s shoulder. The poor boy must have been exhausted after spending all the energy he had left fighting with the others in the pool. Juyeon had an arm slung over the younger’s smaller body, and he was softly smiling down.

“You should sing more often”, Jacob’s voice pulled him out of his staring. “You have a nice voice.”

Sangyeon’s heart beat faster in his chest. “W-what?” he dumbly asked. Jacob suddenly looked shy, his guitar laying on his knees and his fingers nervously playing together. “I mean, thank you!” Sangyeon quickly corrected himself, earning another pretty smile from the other.

“It’s the first time I’ve heard you sing”, Sangyeon said.

Jacob scratched at his neck, chuckling in embarrassment. “Yeah, I just, uh, I sang a bit back in Canada.”

“He’s just being humble”, Kevin draped an arm over Sangyeon. Sangyeon had no idea when he had gotten closer to them. “Jacob was the _lead singer_ in his church choir–”

“ _I was not!_ ” Jacob shrieked in English.

“ _He was_ ”, Kevin grinned at Sangyeon, forgetting that the older couldn’t understand his words.

Sangyeon turned to get a better look at Kevin’s face. The raven haired was definitely drunk, or at least a bit tipsy.

“ _Anyway_ ”, Kevin continued, still in English and his voice slurred from the alcohol, “ _you two sounded great together. You know, I think there’s more than just your voices that could go well–_ ”

“Kev!” Jacob yelled, hitting the younger on the arm before he could finish his sentence.

Kevin burst out in laughter at Jacob’s reaction, and despite not having understood a single word, Sangyeon followed along into Kevin’s laugh. Mostly, he was laughing at Jacob’s reaction; the other looked so bewildered that it was almost comical.

“Changmin!” Jacob called in exasperation as Kevin rolled onto the ground, clutching his stomach. When he stopped, onto his back, he looked dizzy, his eyes closed with clear discomfort on his face. “Minnie”, he mumbled, a pout forming on his face.

Said boy came rushing towards them, kneeling next to his boyfriend who looked like he was going to pass out right in front of Sangyeon. Changmin ran a hand through his sweaty bangs, a soft smile on his lips. Sangyeon looked away quickly, their interaction becoming a bit too intimate for him to watch. He found himself drawn back to the other Canadian, who had busied himself with putting his guitar back in its case with the utmost care.

“Where did you get it?” Sangyeon asked.

Jacob’s head perked up. “My mom gave it to me”, he smiled as the memories flooded back to him.

“A birthday gift?” Sangyeon asked. He wasn’t trying to pry onto Jacob’s life, after all, the younger was pretty secretive about his past. He just didn’t like talking about himself much, so there were only a few stories Sangyeon recalled Jacob actually telling him on his own accord. Sangyeon had gotten most of his information about Jacob’s past through Kevin, with whom Jacob had always seemed to have a deeper connection. The one of the shared mother tongue, Sangyeon guessed.

“A farewell gift”, Jacob answered. “She bought it for me just before I moved to Korea. She said it should remind me of home, of the things I loved over there. Since it’s not something I can lose, it’s like I always have a piece of her with me. Whenever I play it, I can picture her pride whenever I’d play for her back home. I can picture the friends I used to make music with, it’s almost as if they’re here, with me. Of course it’s not like I’m not feeling welcomed here, if I had to choose, I know I would stay here, without a doubt, but there will always be a part of me that’s still attached in Canada... I’m rambling too much, am I?” he chuckled nervously, playing with the hem of his sleeves.

Sangyeon shook his head. The light from the fire lit up Jacob’s face just enough for Sangyeon to be able to recognize his friend’s state; he had that face he made whenever he’d just opened up and felt that he’d crossed the line, given out too much, now closing himself like a book after the end of a story. And the book intrigued Sangyeon so much, he already wanted to open it back and draw more from the pages, but he knew that it would take time. Jacob wasn’t ready to expose his entire story, and Sangyeon thought that if he could get little pieces once in a while, he would satisfy himself with that.

“You can never talk too much, Jacob”, Sangyeon reassured his friend. “In fact, I’d love to hear more about you.”

“A-about me?” Jacob questioned shyly. Sangyeon nodded.

“I hope one day you’ll be comfortable to share more bits about your past with me.”

Jacob’s cheeks were red as he looked away. “Maybe I will, with time...”

Sangyeon nodded, already happy with the reply. It hadn’t been a negative, not a positive either, but Sangyeon saw the bright side more than the dark.

“Sure. Whenever you’re ready.”

Sangyeon and Jacob shared eye contact, shy smiles on. Sangyeon stared at Jacob’s face, his pretty eyes hidden behind his silver framed glasses. Their connection was broken as their attention was grabbed by some speaking coming from next to them. A few of the guys were getting ready to leave, creating some kind of commotion. From what Sangyeon could grasp, it was about some changes in the designated drivers.

Changmin was whining, now sitting on the floor next to Kevin. He was looking at Chanhee, who was staring right back with his arms crossed on his chest.

“I know you drank, Changmin, and I can’t let you drive like this”, the pink-haired boy was arguing.

“B-but I work tomorrow”, Changmin pouted.

Kevin moved slightly, his head leaned onto Changmin’s shoulder, his eyes still closed. “I’ll take your shift”, he said, immediately groaning in pain.

“There’s no way you’re able to come in tomorrow, Kevin”, Chanhee retorted. “Plus, that’s not even tomorrow, that’s in five hours.”

Sangyeon’s eyes widened at the realization of the time it was. He quickly went over the schedule in his mind, recalling that originally Changmin, Juyeon and Hyunjoon were meant to be opening the restaurant on this Sunday morning. He turned around to glance at Juyeon and Hyunjoon, sat next to each other on the couch. They both hadn’t drunk, he knew as much. However, he was growing worried at the amount of sleep they’d be able to get.

“Hyung”, a voice called. Sangyeon looked up, noticing Sunwoo standing in front of him. “You think you could drive me back?”

Sangyeon nodded. “Of course. I’m probably going to leave soon, though.”

“That’s fine”, Sunwoo smiled. He turned around on his feet, facing towards the couch. “Juyeon hyung! I’m going back with Sangyeon hyung!”

Sangyeon winced at the level of his voice. Juyeon’s head tilted in confusion, then shrugged. “Then you’re not my favourite maknae anymore!” He shouted back with a teasing grin.

Sunwoo snorted. Before he could reply, Hyunjoon beat him to it. “As if your favourite has ever been anyone else other than the one laying in your arms right now.” He raised an eyebrow with a cocky smile.

Juyeon stammered a bit. “It’s not... he’s... I don’t play favourites.”

“Sure you don’t”, Haknyeon gave him a knowing look.

“Hyunjoon, Kevin, I’m driving you guys back!” Jaehyun’s voice suddenly cut through the crowd.

“Hyunjae, you don’t have a car—"

“Shh”, Younghoon suddenly shushed from behind him, “it doesn’t matter, he’s drunk but he’s creating a distraction”. Confusion was probably written all over Sangyeon’s face, causing both Younghoon and Sunwoo to laugh at him. Younghoon continued walking around the couch all the way up to behind Hyunjoon. He leaned over to whisper in the younger’s ear, and Sangyeon could see him nodding, a grin slowly forming on his face.

“We’re trying to get Juyeon to offer to take Eric back”, Sunwoo kindly explained to Sangyeon.

As everyone started to more seriously discuss car arrangements, Juyeon looked like a lost puppy. The plan had probably been passed around, because everyone started to claim seats in either Sangyeon or Younghoon’s cars, no one ever mentioning Juyeon, not even Jaehyun, who lived with the latter.

Sangyeon took a look at the dark-haired boy, noticing that their younger friend was still curled up against him, peacefully asleep. If Eric was unstoppable in broad daylight, another thing about him that couldn’t be stopped was his sleep. No matter how loud the boys around him were shouting, his breathing remained stable, and Juyeon diligently stayed in place as to not disturb him. Sangyeon rolled his eyes at how cute the scene was, and how infuriating; everyone knew about their crushes on each other, apparently except themselves. It was about time they started taking action to push them towards each other. Sangyeon wasn’t even sure Juyeon himself knew he had a crush on Eric.

“Alright”, Sangyeon stood up, grabbing everyone’s attention. “I’m taking Sunwoo, Hak and Hyunjoon, but I don’t have place for more, and I was responsible for Eric. Could someone drive him for me?”

Barely a few seconds passed before Juyeon spoke up, to everyone’s amusement. “I will”, he said nonchalantly, looking down at the boy asleep in his arms with a fond smile that was probably not meant for everyone to see, but Sangyeon definitely caught it.

Changmin clapped enthusiastically at the announcement, before throwing his hands over his mouth as he realized he was the only one reacting. Kevin, still on the ground but now sitting up, wrapped an arm around the boy and sloppily kissed his cheek, making Changmin giggle happily, and turn around to kiss him on the lips.

“Perfect” Sangyeon replied to Juyeon. “Does anyone need a replacement for their shifts today? Changmin’s out, I’ll cover for him. Hyunjoon, Juyeon, are you guys fine?”

They both gave him affirmative nods. Sangyeon reached into his pockets to make sure he had everything – his car keys, and his phone – before looking around one last time.

“Well if I’m gonna be working in five hours, I guess I better leave now. Goodbye guys!” He said to no one in particular, squealing in surprise when someone hugged him tightly from the back.

“I’m sorry you have to work because of me”, Changmin mumbled onto his shoulder.

Sangyeon sighed, turning around to face the younger. He was about to correct his friend, to tell him for the millionth time that he was never working _because_ of him, but _thanks_ to him, but he figured that Changmin had probably drunk too much to understand the difference anyway. He settled for a pat on the younger’s head and a “Stay safe, Changmin-ie”.

Sunwoo, Haknyeon and Hyunjoon were already waiting for him. Haknyeon’s eyes were closing by themselves, but Sunwoo had a protective grip on him, preventing his boyfriend from suddenly losing his balance. Before leaving, Sangyeon turned to Jacob, who was still sat in his chair. Jacob was staring back at him in surprise. Sangyeon suspected that the Canadian had already been watching him, but he didn’t want to be the one making assumptions, so he swallowed the thought down.

“I really meant what I said earlier”, he told the younger. “I can’t wait to get to know you more, and... uh... good night, Jacob”. He waved awkwardly. Jacob laughed quietly, waving back with a barely whispered “Good night, hyung”.

Sangyeon smiled at him one last time, then turning to motion for Sunwoo, Haknyeon and Hyunjoon to follow him. The four of them left the backyard, too tired to exchange words. Haknyeon and Hyunjoon slipped into dreamland as soon as they buckled their own seatbelts (Haknyeon actually fell asleep before he could do it himself, but Sunwoo made sure that he’d be safe and did it for him).


	4. knight in shining armor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one day Eric is unable to take care of himself and is saved by, you guessed it, Lee Juyeon in a shining armor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I'm back with a new chapter!
> 
> Today's disclaimer: this might be so cringy to the point it would make your toes curl. But, cringy cute! I think?

It was a little bit past 9 in the evening, and there was only one hour left before the store would close to customers. Eric was working hard at delivering meals to tables and taking in new orders, while Sangyeon was taking the register. In the kitchens, Younghoon and Juyeon were happily cooking, Eric could sometimes catch their laughter echoing from where they were working. If he were to be honest, Juyeon’s laughter was the loudest one to his ear. He just loved how it sounded. Juyeon never laughed too loud, he often laughed in silence, and seeing him while he did was often the best part of it: but now that he could actually hear him, he couldn’t help the butterflies that spread through his stomach at the beautiful sound.

Eric didn’t even notice the time flying by as the restaurant was quite busy. It had been one of those inexplicably bad days, Eric had been making mistake over mistake, and the overall mood of the customers wasn’t so great. People argued with him over prices, and he couldn’t count the amount of times he had needed to get Sangyeon to handle someone who refused to pay the price that was clearly identified on the menus they handed out. Not to mention, he had just gotten yelled at for accidentally tripping over a seated girl’s chair, and cursed at for an order getting too long to arrive, even though the matter wasn’t his fault.

His own mood had inevitably gone down, seeing that so many things out of his control were going wrong. It made every effort more difficult, every interaction more forced, everything making him tired and dreaming about his bed. But at least, whenever he’d walk up to the counter to pick up a new order, he’d get so see Juyeon – and Younghoon too, of course – and he’d get to make quick talk with the older, to hear his voice and to see his smile, always giving him a breath of fresh air in this suffocating sea of rude and hungry customers.

The closing time was nearing, but a few customers were still in the middle of meals. They had just stopped receiving new customers in order to be able to close at 10, but there was still work to do, they couldn’t kick out the people that were still left no matter how bad Eric wanted to. The waiter had just delivered two plates of freshly cooked food to a middle-aged couple, when the man called him after him, his deep and loud voice resonating through the small restaurant. “Hey, boy!”

“Yes, sir?” Eric turned around, hands folded behind his back, his polite smile on.

“I can’t eat this shit”, the man declared with a disgusted face. “It’s fucking cold, and way too salty.”

Eric’s head tilted slightly in confusion. He was a bit taken aback by the complaint. The dish was _meant_ to be cold, so he didn’t understand why the customer thought it was too cold. Nonetheless, he quickly apologized and took the dish back to the counter separating the kitchen and the dining area. He pushed it towards Juyeon and leaned over the counter.

“Too cold, and too salty.” He explained in whispered voice. Juyeon took the plate back, observing it for a second.

“I can make another one using less salt, but I’m not too sure about the cold part.”

“I don’t know, he said it was too cold. Maybe heat it up a little.”

Juyeon shrugged, throwing the cold noodles away and taking out a clean pan. “Customer is king” he said, starting to prepare the meal again, not before giving Eric a knowing grin.

Eric walked back to the couple, informing them that the meal was being made again and that it would be ready in a few minutes. The man simply flipped him off. The woman in front of him ignored the exchange, looking through her phone with one hand and eating with the other. Eric wasn’t too fazed by the man’s reaction – he got that a lot, there wasn’t anything he could do about it. He carried on serving other customers, until he noticed Juyeon discretely waving at him from the kitchens. He hurried over to the counter, and Juyeon lifted a warm plate of “cold noodles” in front of him. “Here are your hot cold noodles”, he chuckled. Eric’s customer service smile turned into an authentic one at the same time as he felt his heart clench and butterflies erupt all over his stomach. It was becoming more and more regular, this reaction he’d get every time Juyeon would as much as look his way. It seemed the more he tried to suppress it, the worst it became, the harder it got to hide from himself.

Shaking the thoughts off, he thanked the older and took the plate from the counter. He brought it to the customer and made sure to apologize for the delay, and to stay with the man to make sure that he was now satisfied with the dish, as he usually did. The man stuck his chopsticks into the noodles and ate a small portion, before swallowing with apparent difficulty. He banged his fists onto the table, making both Eric and the woman in front of him jump up in surprise.

“Are you kidding me?” he exclaimed angrily. “That’s still ice cold. And you expect me to eat that shit? What is this place?”

Sangyeon shot Eric a look from where he was sitting at the register. A customer raising his voice wasn’t something he liked to hear, but he knew Eric could handle it. Who could seriously get angry right in front of that boy’s cute face? Well, that was a concept Eric had also started to believe about himself, maybe making him a bit overconfident about himself.

From the kitchens, Juyeon and Younghoon had also both stopped whatever they were doing to look at what was going on. They both had worried frowns on their faces. The tip of Juyeon’s fingers started burning as he started nervously drumming them onto the counter in front of him. He knew Eric could handle himself, but something in him itched to go out there and help. He could feel his own heartbeat pick up its pace as he squinted to analyze the small details of Eric’s face, small details that instantly let him know the younger had become nervous.

“I’m sorry, sir”, Eric bowed in apology to the man seated in front of him. “Those are the cold noodles on our menu, we tried to make them warm but I can take them back to the kitchen so that we make them warmer–” he tried to explain, his lisp coming out as he was losing his confidence, his explanations clearly not satisfying the customer.

“Are you contradicting me?” he growled angrily. “I know what I ordered, and it wasn’t fucking cold noodles. You’re taking me for an idiot.”

Eric took his pad out from under his arm and flipped through the pages to show the menu to the customer. As he got closer, his nose caught the smell of alcohol mixed with tobacco coming from the man himself, and he paused for a second to stop himself from coughing. “We have this page for the hot noodles choices, maybe you would like to order something else from there?” he offered, trying to keep his calm even though the situation sounded ridiculous to him.

“This shit is what I wanted”, the customer spat out, pointing at the plate in front of him, “but you dumbasses aren’t able to make it properly.”

“Okay, I’m sorry”, Eric apologized again, although he started to grow a bit angry, and his words didn’t sound the slightest bit genuine anymore. “I’ll take these back and we can make you something else–”

The man suddenly stood up, pushing his chair back with strength, so rudely that the chair was almost knocked down. “And make me wait another hour for mediocre food? Who do you think I am?” His voice rose up, the anger fuming out of him.

Sangyeon sat up from the stool at the register, ready to intervene, but he was beaten at it by Juyeon who burst out of the kitchen. Before Eric could do anything, Juyeon came to place himself in front of him, pulling the him behind his back with a protective arm. Eric was too shocked to protest as he was being shielded from the angry man. He managed to peek over Juyeon’s shoulder. The man was about his friend’s height, but he was twice his size, and he was fuming in anger.

“Sir, we won’t apologize again, and I would kindly ask you to leave the store.” Juyeon spoke out, confidence really impressive for someone who had never done any type of customer service in his entire life. And he himself didn’t quite know where that confidence came from.

He wasn’t too sure, had it been anyone else, if he wouldn’t have simply let Sangyeon take care of it. The older was way better equipped to deal with such situations than he was, and he obviously had been ready to go and help. Why he felt like _he_ had to do something, this time, he only had a small idea. He cared too much about Eric, and that had led him to making an impulsive decision that, would he be to leave the restaurant tonight with a broken nose, he wasn’t even sure he’d regret.

“I’m not done with the little shit who talked down to me” the man said, taking a step towards Juyeon and Eric. Juyeon immediately took a step back and blocked the way with his arm, Eric recoiling behind him. Eric could feel his body starting to tremble in fear, and he tried to shake it off, knowing it was irrational. 

“Sir, please leave.” Juyeon’s voice was stable, polite even, but Eric could see his fists clench, a clear sign he was angry and ready to fight if the older man would start anything.

“I’m not leaving until I get a proper apology. You kids need to learn how to treat adults with the respect we deserve.” The man spat in Juyeon’s face, taking another step forward with the clear intention of getting to Eric, the blonde waiter almost crying out when they made brief eye contact. He wanted to punch that man for daring to spit his disgusting saliva in his hyung’s face, but he was currently too scared to do anything.

Juyeon turned his head to look at Eric. The younger was frozen, and Juyeon could see the conflicted emotions flickering through his eyes. Juyeon’s eyes finally found the younger’s, once Eric had managed to focus back on his friend. Juyeon gave him a little squeeze of the shoulder. “Get back with Younghoon. I’ll deal with this.”

Eric nodded, not even thinking about what Juyeon meant by “dealing with this” as he ran off to the kitchen, rushing past Sangyeon who was busy apologizing to the rest of the customers. Eric pushed past the large doors to the kitchen, to where Younghoon was standing still in the middle of the room, his mouth covered with both of his hands. He removed one of them to stretch his arm out for Eric to come snuggle right into his embrace, his head hiding against the taller’s chest. Eric couldn’t process what had just happened. He was still shaking as Younghoon silently rubbed his hand up and down his arm to try and calm him down.

He didn’t get to hear the end of the altercation, as he stayed close to Younghoon until Juyeon entered the kitchen again and walked up to them. Eric detached himself from Younghoon, only so he could latch at Juyeon and drown the other in “thank you”s and “you’re the best”. No matter how hard Eric was crushing on Juyeon, the older was still one of his best friends, one who would understand him better than anyone else. Despite being the one to have put up with the violent customer, Juyeon was the one comforting Eric, who easily calmed down with the older’s help.

Sangyeon came into the kitchen a few minutes later, informing them that every customer had left the store and that they were now officially closed. Eric let out a sigh in relief, letting his tight grip around Juyeon fall loose in order to look at Sangyeon.

“Juyeon-ie”, Sangyeon smiled, “I’m really proud of you. You managed to get that man to leave without breaking anything – I was convinced he was going to throw a chair at one point.”

Juyeon broke into a shy smile and scratched the back of his neck. “It was nothing, hyung.”

“Are you sure you’d hate customer service? That was like, really impressive.” Eric chirped in, looking up at the older who was still holding him with one arm around his waist. “I’m sure you’d be good at it.”

Juyeon was quick to shake his head. “No, that was a one-time thing. I hope I won’t have to step one foot into the dining room anytime soon. That was like, frightening. Customer service is horrible.” Juyeon shivered at the thought. How did Eric, and the others, manage to do this during all of their working shifts?

Sangyeon chuckled. “I promise it’s not all that bad. You just have this one angry customer who comes at you once in a while, but most people are actually nice. But if you want to stay in the kitchen, I have no problem with that.”

“I owe all my sincere admirations to all of the boys who work in the dining room, but I will stick to cooking, without a doubt.” Juyeon grinned, ruffling Eric’s hair as he spoke.

The gesture made Eric smile back, and he nuzzled his head back against Juyeon’s chest. He had always been close to Juyeon, way before he’d started getting feelings for him, and Juyeon’s hugs remained his favourites, even if it meant he had to silence his pounding heartbeat so that Juyeon wouldn’t get suspicious.

“Alright, well, this is my cue to go!” Younghoon announced. He walked over to the sink to hang up his apron on the wall next to it. He shot a last worried look towards Juyeon and Eric, and, after confirming that the young waiter would be okay, he disappeared into the hallway that led to the break room.

Sangyeon looked at Juyeon and Eric, a pensive look on his face. “Will you two be okay if I leave?” he asked with hesitation, not letting the situation go as easily as Younghoon had.

“As always, hyung!” Eric replied brightly, turning his head just enough to make eye contact with his friend.

“You were here all day”, Juyeon spoke up. “Go home, we’ll handle closing the store.”

Sangyeon nodded, smiling at the two. “You two did a good job today. Thank you” He patted the both of them on the shoulders before heading for his office in order to grab his things. Eric looked up at Juyeon. “Thank _you_ ”, he repeated Sangyeon’s words, a sincere smile on his face. Juyeon stuttered, embarrassed.

“Let’s get back to work so we can leave early.” He said, but didn’t move an inch. The two stayed silent for a few seconds, before Eric burst out laughing.

“Okay, let’s work” he chuckled, and finally left Juyeon’s warm embrace.

After Sangyeon and Younghoon had left the store, the two broke into Sangyeon’s office to connect Juyeon’s phone with the restaurant’s speakers, speakers that usually played soft background music for the customers. Juyeon started his “Work with Eric” playlist and the two danced passionately to every single song as they attacked their cleaning duties. The stressful incident was already out of Eric’s mind, but something at the back of Juyeon’s kept making him check on the younger to make sure that he really was okay.

Once they were done with everything, Juyeon finished filling up some papers in Sangyeon’s office. He still had those worried thoughts about Eric in his head as he walked into the break room, where he found the younger pulling a hoodie over his head. Eric’s cutely messy hair made his heart soften when his head reappeared out of the hoodie, and Juyeon smiled unconsciously. Eric finally realized he was there, his shoulders jumping up in surprise.

“I’m gonna drive you home”, Juyeon announced before he could think twice.

Eric stared at him curiously. “Why?” he asked out. “I mean, I have my skateboard, I can make it home on my own.”

Juyeon bit his bottom lip. How was he supposed to tell the boy that was supposedly just his friend that he was still worried about him and that he wanted to personally make sure he would make it home safe, without sounding like some overly protective freak? Sure, he had always been protective of Eric, but recently he couldn’t seem to control the bubbling of affection he felt towards the younger whenever they were together. Eric made him feel all sorts of things he didn’t quite recognize from his other friendships, nor from his previous romantic relationships, although he never really had anything serious going on.

He opted to stay nonchalant about the whole thing. If he wanted to convince Eric to let him drive him, that was his best bet. “It’s late, and it’s been a rough day. I figured you might be tired, I don’t know. It doesn’t make it that much longer of a drive for me, either, so.”

The younger’s expression then turned into a bright one. “If you insist”, he grinned, then chuckled adorably as he went to get his skateboard.

Juyeon felt his heart flutter as he looked at the younger, backpack hung onto both of his shoulders, and his skateboard under one arm.

“Are we going or what?” the younger asked, making Juyeon realize that he had been staying still for probably way too long.

“Uh, yeah”, he stuttered, smiling in embarrassment.

The ride to Eric’s home was short, but long enough for the younger to choose to plug his phone in and blast his “Juyeon” playlist at maximum volume. The both of them had a lot of musical choices in common, which was one thing that had brought them closer when they had first started becoming friends. Juyeon drummed his fingers to the beat on the steering wheel, trying not to get distracted by how adorable Eric was on the passenger seat, belting out the lyrics at the top of his lungs, his feet carelessly thrown onto the dashboard, his legs comfortably crossed together. Juyeon didn’t own a convertible, but that didn’t stop Eric from acting like he was riding one. The only thing missing would be the wind messing up with his hair, Juyeon thought, and the scene would be perfect. Usually, Juyeon would have scolded the younger for sitting in such an unsafe position, but today, he didn’t have the heart to break Eric’s bubble.

But Juyeon couldn’t spend too much time looking at the younger, as he had to stay focused on the road. Still, the loud voice hitting his ears was weirdly not as irritating as it should have been. Rather, it brought a smile to Juyeon’s face, and they spent the entire drive like that.

Eric lived on a residential street, with houses perfectly aligned on both sides of the road. Juyeon parked right in front of Eric’s small two stories house. Eric shot him a confused look when Juyeon unbuckled his own seatbelt at the same time as he did, and got out of the car before he could even begin to thank him for the lift.

He got out of the car instead, taking his bag and board with him, only to find Juyeon walking around his car to stop right in front of him on the sidewalk. Eric almost dropped his things on the ground when Juyeon pulled him into a tight hug. He could feel a strong heartbeat, and for a second, he wasn’t sure whether it was his own of Juyeon’s.

Neither of them moved for a while, instead letting the cold air surround them and the wind blow softly on their hair. It was late, the street was dark and quiet, making the time seem frozen for the both of them. Eric didn’t know what the reason for this sudden display of affection was, but he was all up for it. If brotherly Juyeon was the only way the older would let him have him, then, Eric would gladly take this side of him.

As for Juyeon, with the younger in his arms, he couldn’t help but wonder what it was that made Eric so open to physical affection from him. Of course, everyone knew Eric loved cuddles. The thing was, Eric rarely ever let others give them to him, if he hadn’t been the one to initiate it. Not even his best friend could, not that Sunwoo was really one for cuddles anyway. He always seemed to shriek away whenever one of their other friends would try to get close, but Juyeon? Eric always let Juyeon get away with everything, and Juyeon was starting to notice it. He had started to see the knowing looks their friends would send their way whenever Eric would let Juyeon lean his head onto his shoulder, or pat his head, or hug him tight without any apparent reason. He couldn’t complain, something in him always seemed to push him closer to the younger, to seek his touch or to hug him just because he wanted, just because he could. Juyeon really wasn’t complaining, but he wished he could see in Eric’s head to know what it was about himself that made Eric act so different towards him than with everyone else.

“I got scared for you”, Juyeon finally admitted, staring down Eric’s hoodie-covered-back from above. “When I saw that man, he was three times your size, I really thought he was going to get violent on you.”

With Juyeon unable to see his face, Eric couldn’t help but smile giddily at the confession. “Thank you for taking care of it”, he said, and Juyeon knew that he meant it.

Juyeon squeezed him a bit tighter. “Good night, Youngjae”, he said, and kissed the top of the younger’s head. His own eyes grew wide as he realized what he had just done, and he let go of the other boy as quick as if he had been burnt.

Sure, Eric always let him get away with everything, but Juyeon had never done anything like _that_. Eric was just his friend, friends didn’t kiss each other’s heads just because they felt like it. Would he lose his cuddling privilege now? He couldn’t imagine any other outcome, and Juyeon thought he would have deserved it if Eric didn’t want to be near him anymore. Juyeon was _not_ being overly dramatic.

But as they parted, Eric was already looking up at him, and his eyes were twinkling happily. He didn’t seem fazed by what Juyeon had done, and Juyeon started to wonder if the younger had simply not felt the kiss through his _adorably fluffy_ hair.

“Drive safe, hyung. Thanks for the lift.” Eric smiled.

He used his free hand to wave goodbye at Juyeon while he walked up the alleyway to his house. Juyeon looked at him, smiling unconsciously until the front door closed behind the boy.


	5. sunflowers studio

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacob has been working on a new song, and he needs to show it to Sunwoo. Eric is just the poor witness of it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea what this is, but I love sunric's friendship so much and I think it shows... just a little bit?

“Eric. Eric!”

The waiter flipped around when he heard his name being whispered. He was in between two customers, his cork pad under one arm and an empty plastic tray under the other. The calling came from the kitchen, and Eric quickly made his way to the ordering counter at the sight of his best friend leaning on it, mischievous smile on his face.

Eric stopped right in front of him, and dropped his tray on the counter in between them, pushing Sunwoo’s elbows with it at the same time. Eric slid his order paper to Younghoon, and turned to Sunwoo to flick the older on the forehead. “What?”

Sunwoo’s playful expression didn’t falter. “I’m heading to mine and Jacob hyung’s studio after work. Wanna come?”

Eric fake gasped and brought his hands over his heart. “You would really invite _me_ there?”

Sunwoo chuckled and moved to hit his arm. “Yah, don’t act like it’s the first time you’d come over.”

Ever since Sunwoo had started working on music with Jacob, Eric had started to periodically drop by their now shared studio to hang out, although with school it had become more difficult to make time to travel all the way there.

Eric dropped his shocked act with a small laugh. Keeping an eye on Younghoon, who was assembling the order he was waiting for, he leaned his left elbow onto the counter. “It’s just, it’s been a while. I used to come at least once a week, and now when’s the last time you invited me there? I’m just surprised, that’s all.”

It was Sunwoo’s turn to gasp in shock, but his was a genuine reaction. “Since when do you need my permission to come over? I miss your surprise visits.” Sunwoo pouted.

Eric rolled his eyes, but a smile tug at his lips. “Fine, fine, I’ll come. Only because I have something to tell you.”

Sunwoo raised an eyebrow in interest. Just as he was about to ask Eric about it, Younghoon raised a tray onto the counter. “Eric-ah, it’s ready”, the older boy announced.

Eric’s heart was squirming in excitement at the thought of telling Sunwoo about what had happened during his previous shift with Juyeon. He hadn’t had the chance to talk to Sunwoo since, given that it had only been a few days, and he couldn’t wait to hear what his friend had to say.

“Where’s Kevin?”

Younghoon barged into the break room, looking around with a frown. Eric looked up from his phone at his voice, and shrugged. “How would I know?” he asked Younghoon, who sighed. “He’s late.”

Suddenly, the door burst open, and a frantic-looking Kevin ran into the room. He dropped his heavy backpack onto the table, right in front of Eric, random art supplies falling out of the half-open bag. Eric managed to catch a few rolling brushes before they’d fall off the table.

“Sorry Younghoon hyung”, Kevin panted, “class ended a bit later than expected.”

He wiped his shaking hands over his gray hoodie, leaving on it traces of paint in the shape of his fingers. Younghoon placed a calming hand over the boy’s shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay. We’re in no rush, Sunwoo said he’d wait for you to arrive before leaving. Take your time.”

Kevin took a few seconds to process the words, then nodding energetically. Younghoon smiled at him and left the break room. As soon as the door clicked shut behind him, Kevin exhaled loudly, and dropped on a chair in front of Eric.

“Didn’t you have this big exam today?” the younger asked curiously.

Kevin started to fumble with his backpack, putting everything back in place. It looked like the older had ran from school to the restaurant. “Yeah”, he tried to catch his breath, “just now.”

Eric handed him the brushes he’d caught, and Kevin took them, giving him a grateful smile. “How did it go?”

Kevin made an unsure face. “Ehh... I’ve had to rush my ending, so, not the best. But I think my idea was creative, I’ll get points for that.” He smiled proudly, and Eric couldn’t help but mirror him.

The Canadian finally pulled out a bandana from the depth of his backpack, and slid it into his hair. He quickly took off his stained hoodie, leaving him in a plain t-shirt that he could work in. He hastily threw the piece of clothing into his messy bag, which he hid under the lunch table. He shook his head as a way to quickly fix his hair, then looked over to Eric with a grin. He pointed two fingers at the blonde.

“What time is it?” He sang, looking at Eric expectantly.

“Summer time!” Eric sang back, laughing as Kevin carried on with the rest of the song on his way to the kitchen, his voice echoing all through the store.

But although it might have been summer time for Kevin already, for Eric, there was still a few weeks left to push through. His finals hadn’t even begun yet. Eric groaned. Damn those art kids.

A little after Kevin’s voice had faded into the distance, Sunwoo entered the break room. Eric had waited half an hour for his best friend’s shift to end, just so that they could head over to his and Jacob’s music producing studio together. Neither of them could drive, so they would be taking the subway. Sunwoo had gotten a text from Jacob saying that he had been at the studio since early in the morning, but that they were free to come hang out if they wanted.

Sunwoo picked up his backpack from the floor. He roughly rummaged through it, before taking out a, surprisingly, neatly folded, clean t-shirt. He stripped out of his sticky and dirty shirt, completely shameless in front of Eric, before putting the new one on.

Eric couldn’t get out of his head the image of his renowned messy best friend taking a _perfectly folded_ shirt out of his bag. “Haknyeon?” he guessed teasingly, as Sunwoo was scrunching up his dirty shirt to put it away in his bag.

Sunwoo laughed, half embarrassed of having been caught. “Yeah, he put it in my bag for me”, he admitted.

“Does he work tonight?” Eric asked. That would be the only reason why Sunwoo would hang out with Eric on a Friday night rather than with his boyfriend.

Sunwoo hummed as a response. He zipped his bag, and Eric was on his feet in a second, skateboard in hand and his own bag slung over his shoulder. The two boys left the restaurant, bidding goodbye to their friends on their way out.

It was already getting late, the sun had begun going down. The town was busy when they walked into the nearest subway station to the restaurant. They squeezed themselves into a wagon, standing up and invading each other’s personal space due to the amount of other passengers around them. Not that they minded much – correction, not that _Eric_ minded much, he who was naturally cuddly. To Sunwoo, boarding this train was worse than a nightmare. Too many strangers were close to him, his shoulders touching someone else’s every time he breathed, or when the train jumped a little too hard. Eric was trying his best to shield Sunwoo from the other passengers, his back turned to them in an attempt at forming a bubble around his best friend, who was leaning against the wagon’s wall.

Barely a minute into the ride, Eric began to notice the uneasy look in Sunwoo’s eyes. His jaw was tense, and he was trying to make himself as small as possible, but not quite managing to escape the two strangers squeezing him from both sides. Eric was struggling to keep his balance, as the taller people around him kept bumping into him and unintentionally shoving him around. One of his hands was busy holding his skateboard in front of his legs, while the other clutched at Sunwoo’s arm to steady himself, but the added contact of someone else’s skin on Sunwoo’s was probably not helping him. Sweat was becoming visible on Sunwoo’s forehead, and Eric could also tell that it wasn’t only the neon lights making the older boy’s skin look so pale.

Eric lightly squeezed at his best friend’s arm, an idea popping into his head. “Sun”, he called, loud enough to drown the subway noises.

The older barely blinked, his eyes taking a while to completely focus on Eric. Eric smiled gently at him. “I had something to tell you, remember?” he asked, excitement pointing in his voice.

Sunwoo nodded weakly, but that was enough encouragement for Eric. If he could get Sunwoo to listen to him, he was certain he could manage to distract him enough to make him forget about the suffocating environment they were in.

Eric started from the very beginning of his story. He told Sunwoo all about his last shift with Juyeon, slightly caricaturing the angry customer and exaggerating at some parts just so that he could make his best friend laugh. The technique worked, Eric could see Sunwoo concentrating on his words rather than on everything else around them. Eric knew that Sunwoo never missed an opportunity to either tease Eric about his crush, or help him see that maybe the said-crush wasn’t as hopeless as Eric led himself to believe. The story Eric was telling now fell more into the second category, making Sunwoo’s mind attentive to every detail.

There was something utterly embarrassing about having the details of his crush exposed in public like that, Eric thought. He was certain he had caught the two strangers on Sunwoo’s sides tune into his storytelling, not even making any effort to be subtle. He knew that he was naturally quite a loud speaker, that was something that couldn’t be helped, and that probably made everyone around him hear everything he was saying to Sunwoo. But if his little diversion had helped Sunwoo even just a bit, then surely having these two strangers know all about his hopeless crush on his Juyeon hyung was not the end of the world.

“And yeah”, Eric wrapped up nearly five minutes later, “he got _out of his car_ at my house just to hug me for like _ten minutes_ , and then he drove himself back home. You should have seen him, he acted so worried when really, _he_ was the one who handled the situation! Don’t you think this is some kind of fairy tale knight in a shining armour story? I wouldn’t mind being a princess if that meant Juyeon would be my knight”, Eric ended dreamily.

Sunwoo snorted at his words, playfully rolling his eyes. “As if you need a Juyeon to act like a princess.”

“I don’t act like a princess!” Eric protested.

“You sure clean like Cinderella though”, Sunwoo stuck his tongue out.

Eric huffed in annoyance, but he quickly decided that he couldn’t let Sunwoo win so easily. So, he promptly decided to bring back one of his favourite games to play with Sunwoo. He readjusted his grip on his friend’s arm to help himself lean closer to the boy, bringing his mouth up to Sunwoo’s left ear.

“I’ll be a princess only for you, _Daddy_ ”, he whispered the last word purposely loud, watching in satisfaction as Sunwoo’s face turned a bright shade of red.

“ _Eric_ ”, the older warned.

Eric pouted, but his eyes held a cheeky look. “That’s not how you call me when my mouth is on your di–”

He hadn’t even finished his sentence that Sunwoo was pressing the palm of his hand against Eric’s mouth, his eyes telling Eric all about the embarrassed panic he was feeling. Eric couldn’t help but laugh right against Sunwoo’s hand, and the sight of them must have been a little too suggestive because Eric caught from the corner of his eye another passenger giving them both a disgusted look.

Only a few things actually scared Eric. And homophobes certainly weren’t one of them.

With Sunwoo’s hand still on his mouth, Eric slowly wedged his skateboard in between his legs to free the hand that he was using to hold it. His left hand was still gripping at Sunwoo’s upper arm for support, but he could now use his right hand to sneak up right at the hem of Sunwoo’s shirt. Sunwoo was too busy glaring warningly at Eric to notice the movement, and Eric only gave him a wink before slipping his cold hand under the shirt.

To the other passengers of the train, the picture must have looked incredibly wrong, and Eric was having too much fun embarrassing his best friend to care about what they all thought. His fingers weren’t even touching Sunwoo’s skin, but no one could tell since they were hidden under the fabric of the shirt.

Sunwoo glanced down as soon as he felt a draft of air hit his stomach from his shirt being lifted up. Eric didn’t give him the time to process what was happening, before he poked one finger right into Sunwoo’s belly button.

The older let go of his mouth in surprise, and Eric used the distraction to start tickling him under his shirt. Sunwoo clutched at his own stomach to try and fight Eric off, and a series of uncontrollable laughs came out of his mouth. “Stop that!”, Sunwoo pleaded in between laughs, “Eric!”.

The younger finally had mercy on his best friend, retracting his hand and using it to smack Sunwoo in the chest for good measure. The older retrieved his breath, not without sending a glare at Eric. “Why am I even friends with you?” Sunwoo complained, hitting the back of his head onto the wagon’s wall.

“ _Best_ friend”, Eric reminded him teasingly. “I hate you too”, he added with a flying kiss, earning himself a punch in the arm – and a sincere laugh.

Eric was quite proud of himself. At last, he had successfully distracted Sunwoo, which had been his sole purpose since the beginning.

The train braked shortly after, catching Eric off guard since his legs were now tightly shut to hold onto his skateboard. Sunwoo instinctively wrapped an arm around Eric’s waist, securing him to prevent him from falling, or more like, crashing onto the innocent woman next to him. Sunwoo’s eyes met the younger, a teasing glint in them. “About what you told me, since I’m sure you’re dying to hear my opinion...”, he trailed, a satisfied grin forming on his face. “If we exclude your little princess and knight metaphor, it was a cool story, I guess.”

Eric groaned in annoyance, and lightly punched his best friend’s chest. Sunwoo laughed. “Sorry, sorry”, he squirmed, but he couldn’t go far out of Eric’s reach in the cramped space of the train. “If you want some real advice, we can talk about it at the studio.”

“With Jacob hyung there?” Eric shrieked. “No, thank you.”

“Well, isn’t ‘studio with Jacob hyung’ better than ‘subway filled with strangers’?” Eric was about to counter, but Sunwoo continued. “You’re not doing a very good job at hiding your crush, anyway. I’m pretty sure he already knows about it.”

When the train finally stopped at the subway station they had reached, more people piled into the already cramped wagon. Eric was pushed closer to Sunwoo, if that was even possible. He decided to use of their forced proximity to try and make himself more comfortable by laying his head on the taller boy’s chest, but he instantly felt his friend stiffen at his action. “Sorry Sun”, Eric pouted, and pulled away as best as he could. Sunwoo gave a faint smile, trying to reassure Eric. “We’re almost there, it’s okay”, he replied, but his face had already returned to its blank and pale state.

After a twenty minutes journey, the train finally reached their station. Eric and Sunwoo pushed their way through the dense crowd, and jumped off the wagon. Sunwoo took in some deep breaths, and stretched his arms, and Eric imitated him, even though he hadn’t been nearly as uncomfortable as Sunwoo had. The two boys climbed the stairs up to the street, only to witness the last rays of sun disappearing on the horizon in between tall buildings. They stopped at a fast food restaurant to get some takeaway food, that they carried in plastic bags all the way to the building in which Sunwoo and Jacob’s shared studio was located.

The building was tall, blending into the scenery of downtown Seoul. It was a recent built, modern tall windows adorning its facade. The company Sunwoo and Jacob were renting their studio from was situated on level six. Sunwoo swiped his identity card, and the two boys rode the elevator all the way to the right floor, where Sunwoo had to swipe his card again. A dark-lit hallway lined with shadowed doors presented itself to them. They walked into the building, making a right turn, and Sunwoo then stopped in front of a door marked with the number 30. Underneath the number plaque, there was a vibrant yellow sticker reading “Sunflowers studio”.

Sunwoo entered a digit-code, which finally opened the studio’s door. They entered the small room, empty, but evidences of Jacob’s recent presence were scattered all over the place. Sunwoo and Eric both dropped on the worn-out couch, that Jacob had bought second-hand not long after Sunwoo had joined.

Eric balanced his food on his lap, and started eating, along with Sunwoo, the two of them falling into a comfortable chatter.

The door then opened, and in came Jacob. He made a slight jump at the sight of the two boys, but quickly smiled at them. “You guys finally made it! Sorry, I was just in the bathroom”, he explained.

He took a few steps to open the mini-fridge that was pushed under the working desk, and took out a bottled drink for himself, before sitting down on one of the two desk chairs. He rolled it around to face his friends, his eyes lighting up. “Oh, Sunwoo! I wrote something for that track we worked on the other day. I wasn’t sure if you’d like it, so I wanted to let you hear it before saving it to the final version.”

Sunwoo quickly swallowed his food while nodding enthusiastically. “That’s great, hyung! I was totally stuck on that one, I’m curious to hear what you found.”

Jacob’s cheeks turned a lighter shade of pink, and he swung back around. He made a few clicks on the computer. “I wrote it kind of quickly today, and the words came out best in English, so I’m sorry if it’s hard to understand.”

Sunwoo shook his head, even though Jacob couldn’t see him. “Don’t worry about that, Eric here can be the judge of your lyrics.” He patted his best friend’s knee, nearly sending his fries flying into the air. Eric glared at him for the gesture, but had an excited voice as he spoke to Jacob. “I can’t wait to hear it, hyung!”

The older boy clicked something on his keyboard, and a soft melody came through the room’s speakers. Sunwoo sat up on the edge of the couch, putting his hamburger down in the nearly empty plastic box on his knees. Eric felt like he had to focus on the sound, too, so he did the same, setting his soft drink down on the floor.

Sounds of guitar filled the room, until came in the singing. Jacob’s voice came out really nice, despite the fact that the track was only a demo. Eric was taken by surprise by the emotions the older was carrying through his voice, and with the way every word tug at different strings in his heart. When the song was over, Eric was left with a warm feeling in his chest.

Eric wanted to just scream at how good the song was, and shower his friend in compliments, but he held himself back just in time. He should let Sunwoo voice out his reaction first, after all, he was the other person who had worked on the song, and who’s opinion had weight in the making of the final product.

Sunwoo’s mouth was half-open. He ran a hand through his hair, visibly bringing his senses back to him. “Wow”, was the first thing he said, before he let out a breath in disbelief. “I couldn’t have pictured anything better to complete this song. It’s perfect.”

Jacob was smiling, embarrassed at the compliment. “It’s not that great... I just made it today. We can still fix a couple of things–”

“I mean it, hyung!” Sunwoo chuckled. “This is really good. I’d only re-record some parts here and there, but we have to keep everything you made, and then we can add it to our portfolio. This is great!” He finally let himself fall back on the couch, head thrown backwards. Eric could almost see the stress lift itself off of his friend’s shoulders, the tension in them disappearing in an instant.

“You’re not even gonna ask about the lyrics?” Jacob asked softly, a fake-offended look on his face.

“Oh, right!” Sunwoo lowered his head back into a normal position, and nudged at Eric’s shoulder. “What did you think?”

Being asked so directly, Eric couldn’t hold himself back anymore.

“Hyung, hyung, that was like, genius! I’m so glad I know English because _damn_ , I got chills when you sang! It’s like... it’s like, so relatable! How you sang about this unrequited love that has to be kept a secret, the words were so painful, but then it was about how beautiful love is in itself, and how love makes you see the other person under a different light, and I could cry because of how amazing that was!”

Jacob laughed shyly. “Thanks, Eric.”

Sunwoo had quickly turned towards Eric. “So you’ve got the chills for a song about unrequited love, uh?” he asked teasingly.

Eric whipped around on the couch, almost knocking the food off of Sunwoo’s lap. “Not just because of that, it was the message, and the emotion in Jacob hyung’s voice!” he countered.

“You literally said it was relatable, though.”

“I did not!”

“You did!”

“I did not– hyung!” Eric turned towards Jacob, a pout on his face.

Jacob was laughing at their antics. “Sunwoo’s got a point, Eric-ah”, Jacob replied carefully, with a gentle smile. “You wanna talk about it?”

Eric groaned, letting himself slump against the back of the couch and roaming his hands over his face. “Sunwoo, I told you I did _not_ want to talk about it”, he whined.

“And I told you he already knows about it!” Sunwoo exclaimed. His gaze met Jacob’s confused one. _Juyeon hyung_ , Sunwoo mouthed to him, and Jacob’s face lit up in realization.

“Oh- oh, yeah, I just assumed...” Jacob said, scratching the back of his neck.

Eric shrank more into the couch with another groan. Sunwoo laughed at him and, seeing that Eric clearly didn’t want to open up, turned towards Jacob.

“By the way, hyung! Where did the sudden inspiration come from?”

This song was something that the both of them had been stuck on for a couple of days, unable to make any sort of progress with it. Sunwoo had been really close to giving up on it and starting over from scratch, and he really would have done so, had it not been for Jacob.

“I think it’s more like _who_ is it coming from?” Eric chirped in, more than happy that the attention had shifted to someone else.

It was Jacob’s turn to hide his face in his hands. Sunwoo raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t understood the lyrics, but he could start to piece things together at Eric’s question and Jacob’s reaction.

“Wait, hyung, do _you_ have a crush?” Sunwoo asked. He couldn’t help the teasing tone in his voice.

“N-not a crush”, Jacob stuttered, spinning around on his chair to face away from his younger friends. “I mean, it’s not _really_ a crush...” He folded his arms on the desk in front of him and buried his face in them.

“If not a crush, then what? Who is it?” Eric asked.

“I’m not going to tell you little devils”, Jacob mumbled.

“That’s not fair! You already know about mine”, Eric whined in protest.

“Technically, he guessed your crush on his own, so that’s not really a point”, Sunwoo pointed out.

Eric shot him an annoyed glare. They dropped the sensitive subject and moved on to another song that Jacob had been working on and wanted to show Sunwoo. The three of them stayed in the studio longer than expected, until it was too late to take the subway, and Haknyeon had to come and pick up Eric and Sunwoo, and Jacob simply walked back home.

Three days later, Eric had completely forgotten about the incident. He was coming into the restaurant after his Monday’s afternoon class, right on time for his shift. He first greeted Haknyeon in the dining room, and then Changmin in the kitchen. His mind quickly wondered over the fact that there should have been more than just two employees working at this time of the day, which was why he unconsciously sought out for other people on his way to the break room. When he peeked into Sangyeon’s office, he didn’t expect to actually find the missing employees there.

Standing in the middle of the small space were Sangyeon and Jacob, very close to one another and very much _kissing_ , Eric realized in shock. He was immediately reminded of that Friday evening at Jacob’s studio, where they had almost gotten the older to spill his secret crush out. Was Sangyeon the inspiration behind Jacob’s lyrics? Eric let out a loud gasp in realization.

The noise startled Sangyeon and Jacob, who jumped apart and simultaneously turned towards the door. Eric covered his mouth with his left hand to hide his gasp.

“Oh my god, Eric”, Sangyeon spluttered out in embarrassment.

As the youngest stared at his friends, he started to recall the exact lyrics that demo track Jacob had sung, and he realized that the song might have been about Jacob and Sangyeon’s story, explaining the dream-like ending about the beauty of love.

“Are you guys dating?” Eric couldn’t stop himself from asking.

Red tinted both their cheeks as they exchanged a look. “Yeah, we are”, Sangyeon admitted with a shy smile. As Eric’s eyes widened, Sangyeon quickly added “And it hasn’t been really long! So, please, don’t go around telling everyone just yet.”

Eric nodded vigorously, and fled the hallway to go and hide in the breakroom. He took some time to process what had just happened. His two oldest friends, dating? He felt some kind of lightheaded happiness at the thought. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that Sangyeon and Jacob really were perfect for each other, and he prayed their relationship would work out.


	6. maknaes' alliance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Juyeon thinks something's up with the maknaes, one of them in particular, and he doesn't quite know what to do when he realizes he might care more than he should.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never thought I'd be so consistent with these updates. I just want to say thank you to everyone who's reading this, it means a lot to me! This is the first chaptered fic I've ever written, and although it's nothing extraordinary, it's special to me. 
> 
> It's late, and I don't know why I'm getting so emotional all of a sudden. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

On this Saturday morning, it was Eric and Juyeon’s turn to open the restaurant. Under normal conditions, Eric would be bursting with energy and annoying the heck out of Juyeon, who preferred a peaceful hour to prepare the restaurant for the day. Eric, all too happy to be alone with his favourite hyung, would insist on putting music on and would blabber excitedly as they both focused on their respective tasks. Then, they would finish up their tasks in record time, just so that they could go sit together in the back of the shop as they waited for the other employees to arrive. They would strike up some casual conversation, maybe sip on some drinks they’d make for themselves. Openings with Eric were Juyeon’s favourite, because despite them being polar opposites, they got along really well; nothing was ever uncomfortable when they were together.

But today, the boy Juyeon saw pushing past the kitchen doors was not the Eric who would brighten up his morning and make him glad he’d accepted to switch shifts with Jaehyun. The young boy looked still half asleep, dressed up in dark oversized clothes from head to toe and his hair all over the place. His backpack was opened dangerously wide, seeing as he’d apparently come using his skateboard that he was holding at the wheels with one hand. Eric just passed by him, barely waving Juyeon hello with his free hand as he headed straight for the drinks section of the kitchen. He pressed the “on” button on the coffee machine, and since it took a few minutes for the machine to be ready to use, he walked away to the small break room at the back of the restaurant.

Juyeon saw him reappear a few minutes later, eyes still looking closed, but the boy was now dressed in a black t-shirt and some clean looking jeans. Juyeon eyed him closely as Eric made himself a cup of coffee, groaning in satisfaction when the first sip ran down his throat.

“Well, good morning to you too.” Juyeon smirked. He knew Eric hated coffee more than anything in the world, and only resolved to drinking it in desperate times.

Eric put on a forced smile before taking another sip of coffee, too tired to even pull a disgusted face as he usually would whenever he’d be forced to drink the dark liquid. As soon as the drink was finished, Eric left the kitchen without a word and started preparing for his tasks in the dining area. Juyeon’s gaze followed him as worry filled his head – and his heart, mostly his heart. He had never, ever seen the younger boy looking like that, no matter the hour of the day or the night.

He paused for a second. He wanted to ask, wanted to make sure the other was okay, but he was held back by the sudden realization of how alarmingly strong his worries were. He could feel his heart shatter in his chest as he watched Eric go on with his tasks, gloomy face and head hung low. He knew he had always cared a lot about Eric; the younger was, well, his _youngest_ friend, so cute and endearing, exactly like the little brother Juyeon had never had. But why was he so troubled by his friend’s somber look? More than just worried, he felt like his own mood had been deeply affected by the drastic drop in Eric’s. Why did it feel like the sun had stopped shining the second Eric hadn’t greeted him with his usual bright smile, why did his whole world fall apart as Eric’s happy laughter couldn’t be heard to fill the silence in the empty and cold restaurant?

Juyeon had been about to reach out to Eric, but he had stopped himself at the last second. It wasn’t normal for him to be _this_ invested in Eric’s business. Had Eric wanted to share what was on his mind, he would have been the one to reach out to Juyeon, the older was sure of it, or more like, he tried to convince himself as an excuse to stay silent, when all that was going through his mind was a slight panic at the realization that Eric was occupying a scarily big place in his life, without Juyeon ever deliberately telling his heart so.

Their one hour of restaurant preparations flew by in silence, the two of them diligently working in their own sections of the shop. When Chanhee arrived a few minutes before the opening, he was a bit taken aback by the atmosphere. It blatantly looked like his friends had gotten into a fight. As soon as Chanhee had stepped into the shop, Eric had almost completely ignored him, if not for the slight bow he gave as a greeting sign. However, when Chanhee entered the kitchen, Juyeon welcomed him just like he would any other day, with a wide and honest smile and a quick “good morning!”. Chanhee gestured vaguely towards Eric, his eyebrows frowned in confusion. Juyeon simply shrugged in return. “Just a bad day, I’m guessing”, he told the pink-haired boy.

Soon, it was Jacob’s turn to come in, and the crew was complete. His arrival at the restaurant had a similar pattern to Chanhee’s, except as soon as Jacob had dropped his jacket in the break room, he had run back to where Eric was watering the last few flowers in the dining room. Jacob took the watering can from Eric’s hand and set it down on a nearby table.

“Good morning Eric”, he greeted with a warm voice.

Eric smiled back at him, a genuine smile, yet somehow lifeless in Jacob’s perspective. The older quickly scanned the blonde’s face and took notice of the dark bags hanging under his eyes.

“Are you okay?” he asked, concern flashing in his voice. “I can cover for you if you want, I’ll tell Sangyeon you were sick and went home.”

Eric quickly shook his head and straightened himself up. “Don’t worry, I’m all good.” He waved Jacob off before taking the watering can back.

Jacob doubted Eric’s words, but knew that the younger was stubborn, and if he said he would work, well, he would work. He went back to the register to open up the system, placing some change inside of the cash drawer. He made sure everyone was done with their tasks before going over to the entrance door and turning the sign to the “open” side.

Eric had never felt time go by as painfully slow as he had during this work shift. His whole body was screaming at him to just _lay down,_ or at least sit down somewhere, but the shop was half full and they were low-staffed: Hyunjoon hadn’t shown up at the beginning of his shift, twenty minutes ago.

“Eric, I’ll just go make a call, to make sure Hyunjoon’s okay. Can you watch the register for me?” Jacob asked him.

Eric just nodded and, after an overall glance at the room to make sure that all occupied tables were busy eating and didn’t need anything from him, went to sit down at Jacob’s spot. He let out a discreet sigh in satisfaction, feeling his legs go limp as the last bit of strength left in him fled his body. He stared into space, trying to forget about how excruciatingly tired he was and to bring himself back to focusing on his job. He just had to maintain his composure, he could easily do that. He didn’t need to worry his hyungs for nothing. He could do it, he just needed to shut his worries down and act like himself.

His entire thought process had the complete opposite result. As he started worrying more and more over his upcoming exams he had spent the entire night – and the previous ones – studying for, he started to unconsciously chew on his bottom lip out of nervosity.

His whole behaviour didn’t go unnoticed by Juyeon who, standing behind the counter to the kitchen, hadn’t stopped sneaking glances at the younger boy. Eric hadn’t acted like himself all day, and to say Juyeon was worried would be an understatement. Eric was acting so unlike himself that loud alarm signals kept going off in his mind. Juyeon was probably overreacting too, it wasn’t like Eric was dying or anything of the sort. He tried to tell himself that, but as the day progressed, every added minute spent without any sign of Eric getting better was tearing his heart apart. The more Juyeon tried to control it, the worse it got, and he was back to square one; staring at Eric in hopes that Eric would receive the waves of positive energy he was mentally sending his way.

Jacob suddenly broke a new cycle of Juyeon’s reflection about Eric when he returned to the kitchen, a few minutes after having stormed into the office without any explanation. He ran a hand through his hair while exhaling in frustration, standing still next to Juyeon and Chanhee.

“What’s wrong?” Chanhee asked, stopping his work to give Jacob his full attention.

“Hyunjoon was asleep when I called”, Jacob informed them, “he’s gonna be on his way soon but he probably won’t get here before another half an hour. I was hoping I could send Eric home when Hyunjoon started his shift, but...” he sighed. “And what about you guys? Where’s Sunwoo?”

“Sunwoo comes in at 1.” Chanhee quickly replied. “That gives him a whole five minutes to get his ass in here.”

Jacob nodded pensively. “Okay, well, let’s hope he gets here soon. When he comes in, I’m gonna get him to take Eric’s place while we wait for Hyunjoon.” He fumbled on his phone, and Juyeon saw him hastily typing some text message.

Chanhee snorted. “Like that kid is really gonna do customer service.” He rolled his eyes, and focused his gaze back on the pan in front of him where he was cooking some vegetables.

Juyeon briefly glanced at Eric, who had now gotten up to attend to table that had finished eating. The younger seemed to struggle a bit to gather the dishes in his shaky hands without spilling anything.

“I’ll do it”, he declared before he could think it over.

Chanhee looked at him in disbelief. “You.” Was all he said. Juyeon nodded, cheeks turning pink in embarrassment.

“Whatever, as long as someone covers for Eric. He seriously doesn’t look good.” Jacob stated, then leaving the kitchen and going straight to the struggling waiter, taking the load off of him and whispering a few words to him. Eric pouted but nodded, and went back to sitting at the register to gather the payment of the table he’d just attempted at serving.

When Sunwoo arrived at the restaurant, Juyeon had to make a double check to realize it was him. The tall boy was dressed in all black, his hoodie pulled over his head and a mask covering the bottom half of his face. Juyeon could only recognize him from his usual slouchy posture, and from his favourite pair of sneakers in his feet. The boy walked right through the kitchen, completely ignoring his friends and disappearing inside the break room. Okay, Juyeon decided, something was definitely wrong. Hyunjoon still hadn’t arrived, but Juyeon had a feeling the younger wouldn’t be in a better state.

When Sunwoo finally emerged back from the break room, he still had his black mask on, but he had taken his hoodie off. His hair fell in front of his eyes, his almost fully-covered face making it hard for Juyeon to compare his appearance to Eric’s. As soon as the red-haired boy took his designated spot in the kitchen, Juyeon hung up his dirty apron, washed his hands and walked to the dining room. Jacob spotted him and they walked up to Eric, sat at the register, who had just finished handing a customer their receipt.

“Eric-ah”, Jacob spoke softly, “Juyeon-ie will take your place.”

Eric frowned, confusion evident in his tired eyes. “But, Juyeon hyung, you never worked at the register. And I can’t do kitchens.”

Juyeon gave him a small smile and placed his hand on the younger’s shoulder. “You should go home and rest. You’ve worked hard today, you deserve it.”

Eric looked at his friends in disbelief, alternating stares between the two of them. “But I’m fine! I only have two hours left anyway!” he protested, speaking a bit too loudly for Jacob’s liking. He flinched and looked around to make sure that they weren’t attracting curious stares. Luckily, the faint background music and the animated chatters in the shop were enough to cover Eric’s little outburst.

“It’s okay, Youngjae-ah.” Juyeon tried to reassure him. “We’ll handle the restaurant. No one’s gonna be mad at you for leaving early, I promise.”

Eric sighed, as if he knew there was no way he was going to win this argument. He nodded his head in acceptance and got on his feet with a little jump. Juyeon’s gaze never left the boy until the kitchen doors slammed shut behind him.

Working the register turned out easier than it looked. Juyeon was still a nervous wreck every time someone came up to him for their payments, but other than that, all he had to do was to make sure to fill up the customers’ water glasses every once in a while, and answer to small requests for extra sauces or spare chopsticks. Jacob really was taking care of everything in the room to cover for both Eric and Hyunjoon’s absence.

When Eric walked back in the dining area on his way out of the shop, Juyeon barely hesitated before grabbing his wrist to stop him. Eric’s head turned towards him, his half-lidded eyes staring back questioningly.

“Give me a call if there’s anything, okay?” Juyeon said, trying not to let his voice waver as, now so close to Eric, he was able to fully take in the younger’s appearance.

Eric nodded slowly as he was registering Juyeon’s words. He hid a yawn behind the back of his hand and waved Juyeon and Jacob goodbye.

Seeing the boy outside step shakily onto his skateboard almost made Juyeon jump out of his seat, wanting to make sure that Eric would make it home alive, or at least that he wouldn’t hurt himself. But he was probably being irrational in his worries, he knew it. Eric was a grown-up man, not some child that needed Juyeon’s protection. He took a deep breath in and watched as the blonde rolled away, his heart thumping loudly against his chest.

When Juyeon clocked out at the end of his shift, he hadn’t received any news from Eric. He hoped that meant the younger had been resting at home, but one could never be too sure with the younger. Sitting in the break room, Juyeon sent his friend a quick text, to which Eric replied a few minutes later, telling Juyeon he was fine and that there was nothing to worry about. When Juyeon took a glance at Sunwoo on his way out, his brain was screaming at him that something was wrong with the younger ones, and that thought was reconfirmed when he waved goodbye to Hyunjoon, who had arrived to the restaurant almost an hour late.

The following day was a Sunday, meaning that Eric had to come into work once again. This time, he was only scheduled to work during lunch hours. Sunwoo had been the one who had woken him and Hyunjoon up by running out of the apartment to try and make it in time for the opening. Hyunjoon wasn’t scheduled at all that day, so he stayed seated on the floor, headphones resting on his head and books opened on the floor all around him. The only empty spots on the living room’s wooden floor were the circles where Sunwoo and Eric had been sitting, their own books left opened at the pages they had left them at. Hyunjoon wished Eric a good luck before diving right back to studying.

Eric had decided on walking to work that day, for his own safety and also for the other people he’d cross paths with. He didn’t feel awake enough to be riding his skateboard without causing an accident, and even though walking would take him double the time to get to the restaurant, he hoped it would help him feel energized enough for when he would reach his work place.

It didn’t.

He felt tired, grumpy, and he was very well aware of the rude greeting he gave his friends when he walked into the shop, but he just couldn’t manage to gather the energy to address them in his usual bright and energetic way. The others exchanged worried looks, following the small boy as he walked all the way to the break room. Right before the beginning of his shift, Eric went to the employees’ bathroom to splash his face with water, and came out with the most forced smile that the world had ever seen.

Although he was definitely clumsier than usual, the first part of his shift went by without any major incident. Eric stuck to doing the minimum of what was asked of him. He usually would always go the extra mile to ensure his customers’ satisfaction, but today, his brain felt too foggy, his limbs too heavy for that.

As he walked into the kitchen with a pile of dirty dishes to be carried to the sink, his ears caught a glimpse of a conversation coming from Sangyeon’s office, the door having been left opened. His curiosity got the best of him as he stepped closer.

“I really don’t want to do this, Cobie”, he heard Sangyeon speak up, “but Changmin just texted me that he got caught up at his dancing studio. He won’t make it in time and I don’t see any other option.”

“But Sangyeon, you know he’ll say yes!” Jacob’s voice exclaimed in frustration. “And I came here to ask you to send both him and Sunwoo back home. That’s the complete opposite of that!”

Eric tip toed closer to the door, but silence greeted him for a long minute, before Sangyeon finally replied.

“He can still say no. They both keep saying they’re okay, there’s not much more we can do if they don’t want our help.”

“Baby, you know them! You know they don’t want to disappoint us, and that if you ask for their help they’d throw everything away for you!”

“I still can’t send them home without a valid reason, love.” Sangyeon made a pause and sighed. “As much as I care about them as friends, here they’re my employees and as long as they’re not sick, they have the right to work for the shifts that they’re scheduled for if that’s what they want.”

It was Jacob’s turn to sigh loudly. “Talk to them, Sangyeon-ie, I’m begging you. And drop that asking Eric to stay late bullshit – I’ll do it, problem solved.”

The office’s door suddenly burst open, and Jacob exited the room with an annoyed look on his face. He halted his steps at the sight of Eric, standing droopy eyes and arms full of dirty dishes in the middle of the way. His expression immediately dropped into a worried one as he reached to take the plates from Eric’s arms. The younger didn’t even try to argue.

“Go take care of the customers for now”, he said carefully. “I’ll join you in a bit.”

Eric didn’t protest as he walked back into the dining area, that he had left for probably way too long. People would have needed to order, or would have had the time to finish their meals during the entire time he was gone. Scolding himself mentally, he picked up his pad from where he had left it by the entrance of the kitchen and walked out. He barely even flinched when he noticed that Chanhee was walking around attending to the tables that he had abandoned. The older shot him a knowing look and patted him on the back, before returning to the kitchens. Eric didn’t have to work alone too long before he saw Jacob return, and Sangyeon followed only a few minutes later.

“Eric”, he called, “can I talk to you for a minute?”

Eric nodded, his customer service smile dropping as he followed his friend back in the kitchens. Sangyeon stopped to call Sunwoo, and the three of them piled into the small office. Sangyeon motioned for the two boys to take the two chairs that had been brought side by side instead of being on each side of the desk like usual. He stood in front of them, arms crossed on his chest. It felt like two children getting scolded by a parental figure, but for once Eric and Sunwoo were too worn out to make any snarky comment about it. Sangyeon eyed the two boys’ blank faces and exhaled.

“Guys. Everyone knows there’s something going on. And the fact that you keep pretending that everything is fine whenever we ask is just even more worrying.”

Eric and Sunwoo stayed silent.

“Please, boys”, Sangyeon continued, helpless. “Just tell me something, anything. You haven’t been yourselves for the past two days– Eric, are these even your clothes?” Sangyeon’s eyes widened at the realization.

Eric was dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and a pair of jeans that definitely were too big for him. He had been staying over at Sunwoo and Haknyeon’s apartment, along with Hyunjoon, for a few days now. When Haknyeon, who was currently taking a year off of school, had asked about the mess they’d created in the living room, the three had claimed it was a motivational strategy to get them through the end of the semester. Eric had run out of clothes he had brought from home, and Sunwoo had let his best friend borrow some of his. Considering their height difference, it was no surprise that Eric almost looked like a kid dressed in his dad’s clothes.

Eric and Sunwoo both turned to each other. Sunwoo acknowledged the clothes Eric was wearing for the first time, and a small chuckle left his mouth.

“That’s the best you could find?” he asked quietly, only meant for Eric to hear.

“Not my fault you’re a giant” Eric mumbled back, sinking into his chair with a pout.

Sangyeon watched the small interaction with a curious look. That short exchange of one sentence each had probably been the closest to their true selves that the young boys had acted in the entire weekend.

“So, what is it?” the older pressed, visibly trying to force himself to stay as calm as possible.

“It’s really nothing to worry about–” Eric started, but immediately backed down as he noticed the look on Sangyeon’s face.

“It’s just the end of the semester.” Sunwoo replied instead. “I guess you could say we have a lot on our plate, that’s all. No big deal.”

Sangyeon sighed and crouched down to take his friends into his arms.

“How many times have I told you that this restaurant always comes _after_ your school duties?” he scolded, ruffling their hair and squeezing the both of them.

“B-but we know there are a lot of problems at the restaurant recently, and I heard you say earlier that Changmin hyung won’t be able to come in today!” Eric protested. “We can’t let you down in a time like this.”

“Eric.” Sangyeon detached himself from the boys, and smiled softly, still crouched down at their eye level. “You never even had to work here in the first place. Trust me, I appreciate everything you guys have done for me ever since the beginning, but your studies and your health will always be a priority for me way before I even think of this shop. Go home, both of you, and I don’t want to see you here until school is over. You hear me?”

Eric and Sunwoo nodded, slightly embarrassed, but also relieved at the older’s words. They left the office together and gathered their things from the break room. They felt guilty bidding goodbye to their friends on their way out, but everyone quickly assured them that they’d be fine and to not think of them when they’d be home.

When they reached Sunwoo’s apartment, Hyunjoon let them know he’d gotten a text from Sangyeon excusing him from all of his work shifts until the end of the school year. Eric and Sunwoo both messily removed their shoes and stumbled into the living room. Eric dropped himself on the couch, lazily pushing a pile of paper off of it. He hugged one of the cushions that he wiggled under his head. Sunwoo cleared his throat, making sure that Eric had at least one eye opened before he spoke up: “Okay, so, if we go back to the 1830’s...”

As the trio dove back into their studying session, their focus tuned in at full capacity, they never noticed Haknyeon coming out of his and Sunwoo’s shared bedroom and stopping on his way to the kitchen to take a picture of them. He quickly sent the picture to the “Worried Parents” group chat they had created the day before to speculate on the three boys’ situation. He accompanied the picture with a simple “Now that they’ve finally told Sangyeon hyung, here’s what they’ve been up to for the past four days. Don’t worry too much, I’m making sure they eat at least three times a day.” The group chat exploded in replies, some were relieved to finally understand what was going on, some were getting even more worried now that they knew their younger friends had so much going on. Haknyeon spent the next fifteen minutes replying to their concerns and promising to force some sleep onto the boys.


	7. we're out of milk!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summer begins on a not so good note for Flower Snack. Who's gonna be there to save the day? ("Not Juyeon", Eric spoils to the audience.)

The last week of school went by in a flash. Eric had barely gone home, instead sleeping in Sunwoo’s living room with Hyunjoon as they finished their last essays together. On the very last day of school, Eric had three exams to get done. He knew that his two friends had exams at the same time as him during the very last hour of the day. When Eric walked out of the classroom after handing out his paper, he bumped into Sunwoo in the hallway and he couldn’t help but hug the older. It was like an immense weight had been lifted off his shoulders as Eric jumped into Sunwoo’s arms, the older catching him and twirling them around, not even shy about being openly touchy for once, that’s how happy they were. Eric didn’t care for the funny looks they were getting by other students; he loved his best friend and he was incredibly proud of the both of them. He wouldn’t see any of these people ever again anyway.

Sunwoo gently let him down when they both spotted Hyunjoon coming their way. The raven-haired boy looked like he’d just had a tough time, and both Eric and Sunwoo’s smiles faltered. They both wrapped Hyunjoon in their arms. “What happened?” Eric asked.

“I probably just flunked that exam so bad” Hyunjoon sighed, leaning his head onto a shoulder, not caring whose it was but enjoying the cover that the two boys were providing him as he felt his bottom lip getting wobbly and his eyes filling up with tears. It was probably mostly the exhaustion, Hyunjoon actually couldn’t care less if he’d failed that exam or not; he had gotten perfect scores during the entire semester.

When he brought his face back up again, he was met with his friends’ smiling faces, and they all started congratulating each other. They knew how hard the last two weeks had been on themselves and on their friends, and they couldn’t be prouder of themselves for pulling through it. 

The three of them decided it would be a good idea to go back to Sunwoo’s flat to wrap up the semester and celebrate together. They also still had a mess to clean over there, the equivalent of a tornado aftermath in Sunwoo and Haknyeon’s living room. It would be a lie to say that Sunwoo wasn’t expecting his boyfriend to be waiting for him, but what none of the boys expected was for all of their friends to jump out of the dark as soon as they’d unlocked the apartment door – even Changmin had gotten the afternoon off at his studio to be there. Eric was beaming in excitement as his friends pulled him into hugs from all sides. His sleepless nights had all amounted to this day, it felt as if all his hard work had finally paid off now that all of his friends were giving him the confirmation that he’d done well.

Sangyeon had closed the restaurant for the evening so that everyone could come together for a hang out. They had all gathered at Sunwoo and Haknyeon’s apartment before the arrival of their youngest friends and had cleaned up the entire place, making sure to properly put the students’ books away in their own piles, even though they would probably never want to touch the books again. They had also ordered food, which everyone latched on as soon as the surprise element had been over. Sunwoo and Haknyeon only had four chairs around their dining table, but by dragging those to the living room, they were able to comfortably sit everyone. Eric was squeezed in between Sangyeon and Kevin on the couch, the two fussing over him as he radiated happiness.

Eric felt his head spin as he watched Kevin fill his glass with more alcohol for probably the fourth time that night. Kevin himself had already had way too much for what he could handle, but Eric couldn’t resist the older’s puppy eyes when he asked if Eric wanted more to drink – he also still felt totally fine, despite feeling a bit nauseous.

Eric knew what his head was spinning for, and why he felt like he was going to throw up. And it wasn’t the alcohol.

In the past week, he had been so busy with exams and deadlines, he hadn’t been to work – Sangyeon’s ban – and he hadn’t gotten the time to hang out with his friends. All of this, of course, meaning he hadn’t seen Juyeon in one entire week.

And now that they were both in the same room, Juyeon hadn’t even come to congratulate him, hadn’t even said “hello”. Instead, the older was sitting across the room from him, on the floor with his back against the wall, drinking with Hyunjoon, and those two had been glued together ever since the three students had come back to the apartment.

Feeling his heart twist in uncalled-for jealousy, Eric chugged the glass that Kevin was handing him, until the very last drip ran down his tongue. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, when he received a powerful slap on the back that almost made him choke.

“ _That’s my boy!”_ Kevin cheered, slapping Eric once more.

Kevin had been next to him the entire night, Eric tried to reason. That didn’t mean Eric liked Kevin. They were just friends enjoying a party together. In the same way, the sight in front of him didn’t mean Juyeon liked Hyunjoon.

Eric had quite a good level of alcohol tolerance, but after this fourth glass, his thoughts were beginning to feel a bit slow, his brain a little foggy. But Juyeon didn’t like Hyunjoon, did he?

Did Juyeon ever look at him the way he was looking at Hyunjoon right this instant? Did Hyunjoon always act this _cute_ in front of Juyeon?

As if he had heard his questions, Juyeon’s head suddenly turned towards Eric, his quiet laughter dying down in one breath. His piercing eyes stared right at Eric, and it was the first time of the day that they were making eye contact, despite Eric not so subtly stealing glances at Juyeon during the whole evening.

Eric felt his heart thump loudly against his ribcage. The alcohol only made him more aware of the sensation, and the longer Juyeon’s dark pupils stayed the only thing in Eric’s vision, the louder his heart seemed to be beating. He felt his cheeks heat up due to the overwhelming sensation; it was as if his heart was going to break out of his chest if Juyeon looked at him one second more.

In a desperate attempt at escaping the older boy’s entrancing stare, Eric squeezed his eyes shut. In his tipsy-drunk state, it seemed like the perfect thing to do, the only solution to mute out the crushing feeling of his heartbeat and to flee Juyeon’s intense eyes.

Now met with the darkness behind his eyelids, Eric could feel his heart calm down, and the ambient noise started filtering through his ears again instead. Few laughs mingled with inaudible discussions and the clinking of bottles.

He was suddenly pulled to the side, into someone’s embrace who laid him on their lap. He could hear a louder laughter, and clumsy hands roughly carding through his hair. “Silly boys”, he heard someone snicker in a voice that sounded vaguely like Sangyeon’s.

It would make sense, since Sangyeon had been the one sat to his right the whole time.

Too embarrassed to dare open his eyes again, too scared to find Juyeon still looking at him, Eric kept his eyes tightly shut, letting himself fall comfortable onto Sangyeon’s lap. With the older’s awkward fingers tangled in his hair, Eric’s headache slowly subsided, and he slipped into his first proper slumber in over eight days.

Closing the restaurant on a Friday night had also meant closing it for longer on the following morning. And, as Sangyeon was too busy dealing with his own hangover, the store stayed closed for the entire day. The next opening was only on Sunday, and even though Haknyeon had not so subtly tried to convince Sangyeon to not open, that wasn’t an option. Business was still business, and he needed to keep the restaurant going. He announced that he’d be at the store all day himself, and that only those who volunteered to work would have to come in. It didn’t take long for all of the shifts on the schedule to be filled.

Eric had claimed the lunch shift in their group chat. That decision may or may not have been strongly influenced by the notification he’d gotten of Juyeon offering to take on the exact same shift for the kitchen. But if you asked Eric, he simply had the biggest heart out of all of them and _of course_ he would make the sacrifice to come into work for the most hated shift if no one else wanted to.

Okay, that and maybe the thought that working with Juyeon would force the older to talk to him.

It was the peak of lunch time, meaning all tables were occupied, and a short queue had formed under the blazing sun outside of the shop. As Eric was bringing an order slip to the kitchen, he just couldn’t miss the panicked look that Chanhee gave as his hands fumbled around his cooking area. He held one finger at Eric, asking him to wait as he turned to Kevin. “Kev, do you have your milk carton somewhere?” he asked.

Kevin shook his head. “I just finished it. Actually, you’d be the best if you could bring me one back from the fridge”, Kevin grinned, sending a flying kiss at Chanhee.

The pink haired boy vividly shook his head. “I thought you had taken the last one. There is none left in the fridge.”

Kevin stopped in his movements. “But I need milk for my recipe though.”

“Exactly my point.” Chanhee exhaled. “Sunwoo also asked me to get him a new carton. Him and Changmin are out of milk, too.”

“Wait, so we don’t have any more?” Kevin made a face of realization.

“This day couldn’t get any better” Chanhee groaned in frustration.

Eric was still standing at the counter, his order slip from the table he’d just helped still held between his fingers. When the older finally looked up to him again, he hesitantly handed the piece of paper to Chanhee, who took it and slammed it on the lower counter in front of him before pulling at his hair in frustration. “What do we do?”

Haknyeon slid beside Eric, an order slip in his own hands. “Everything okay here?” he asked, eyebrows furrowing.

“There’s no more milk”, Eric informed him. “But that’s okay Chanhee hyung, I can go get some.”

Chanhee shook his head. “No no, you need to stay here, there are way too many people in right now. We can send Sunwoo though, right?” he asked, but the question was more aimed at himself than anything. Kevin still put a reassuring hand on the pink-haired boy’s shoulder. “Changmin should be able to handle the orders by himself for a little while”, he agreed.

Just as Chanhee turned around, Eric spotted Juyeon coming from the entrance door. “Wait, Chanhee hyung!” he called, making the older halt his movements. “Juyeon hyung just got here.”

Chanhee whipped around for his eyes to follow Juyeon entering the kitchen. “I can’t believe I’m about to trust that guy with the immediate future of this restaurant”, he muttered to himself as he went to intercept Juyeon. Eric and Haknyeon turned to Kevin at the same time, and the boy responded by putting his hands up in the air as a sign of surrender. “You have to tell the next customers that we won’t be able to make any of the dishes or drinks with milk in them.”

“But there are so many!” Haknyeon exclaimed, trying to recall everything on the menu that couldn’t be made without the dairy product.

“I know, but there isn’t much we can do until Juyeon comes back with milk.” Kevin calmly replied. “We’ll finish the orders we have in right now, but I don’t think I’ll be able to stretch what we have left any more.”

Eric nodded, then turning around to look at the growing queue in front of the shop. They were significantly busier than expected, as a result of the heat and the fact that it was the beginning of the summer holiday for most students. He braced himself before going around the few tables that were yet to order, and informing them of the situation. Despite a few protests here and there, most people were comprehensive – and easily charmed by Eric’s easy-going approach – and promised Eric to make a choice between the milk-free options on the menu.

But twenty minutes later, Juyeon had yet to come back to the restaurant, and no one was able to reach him. He’d left the store with a few dollar bills in hand only a few seconds after being intercepted by Chanhee, and hadn’t given a sign of life since. The customers were growing impatient; the orders weren’t coming out quick enough, since the cooking boys struggled to adapt to an excessive demand of the same products that couldn’t be cooked in large enough quantities. Sangyeon had come out of his office to try and help, but the problem wasn’t much of a lack of employees than the limited space and equipment they had to work with.

As Eric apologized for what seemed like the hundredth time for all of the delays, Chanhee walked up to him and pulled him to the side, a bit farther away from the customers. He had a very serious look on his face as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“I can’t get Juyeon to reply to me” he told the younger. “I don’t know where he is, and he’s been gone for almost half an hour.”

“He probably got lost”, Eric chuckled, which brought out a snort from Chanhee.

“I gave him all the directions to the nearest supermarket, there’s no way he would get lost. That’s literally a five minutes walk.”

“So... uh, what does this have to do with me?” Eric asked, very aware of the growing list of tables he had yet to go check back on.

“I know I said we need you here, but we need the milk more.” Chanhee stuffed a couple of bills into the front pocket of Eric’s jeans. “Try to see if you can call Juyeon from your phone on your way there. Two roads down, then make a left and you’ll see the store. Come back quick.”

The older urged Eric towards the door, and Eric barely took the time to hand Jacob his order pad before he was jogging out of the shop with an unconscious scowl on his face. Truth was, Eric wasn’t in the best mood after having to deal with so many complaints. Even though most people were nice, apologizing over and over for something that wasn’t your fault wasn’t exactly fun. If only Juyeon had came back quick, the problem could have been solved in under ten minutes, but no. Now, because of the older, Eric had to walk all the way to the supermarket, just because Juyeon wasn’t able to complete such a simple task. It was grumbling under his breath and mentally cursing at Juyeon that Eric hurried down the hill, towards the supermarket.

After his first wave of angry thoughts had passed, Eric remembered that the reason he was sent out _was_ that Juyeon still hadn’t returned, and wasn’t answering anyone, which, after his annoyance had toned down a notch, began to worry him. He pulled his phone out of his back pocket and dialled the older’s number. Juyeon replied after two rings.

“Oh my god, Youngjae, you won’t believe what just happened!” Juyeon exclaimed as soon as he picked up.

“I have a better one for you”, Eric interrupted, tone a bit harsher than he’d intended. “You’ve been gone for half an hour and we’re still out of milk. What an event!”

“No, no, I’m serious!” Juyeon protested. “So, I was on my way to the supermarket, when I got lost” – Eric physically face palmed – “and I ran into this little girl, who also happened to be lost, and she was crying, and I managed to get her back to her mother!”

“Great”, Eric groaned, “now where’s the milk?”

“I’m almost at the store” Juyeon replied.

“Oh really, because I’m almost at the store too. Oh, and I just left the restaurant two minutes ago.”

Silence filled the line as Juyeon searched for his words. “Youngjae-ah, are you... angry?” he asked carefully.

“I can’t be angry that you played superheroes to get that kid back to her mother, but it’s really chaos at the restaurant.”

“I’m sorry”, came Juyeon’s embarrassed response.

“Ugh, it’s alright” Eric took a breath in to not lash out at Juyeon under the pretense of his own bad mood that didn’t really have anything to do with Juyeon. “Now, where are you?” Eric asked, taking a gentler tone. He had the store in sight, and if Juyeon said he wasn’t too far, he should be able to meet up with him.

“I just got in. Just wait for me outside.”

“Copy that.”

The call ended, and Eric leaned on the brick wall of the supermarket as he waited for his friend to come out. He took the waiting time to compose himself: he wasn’t angry at Juyeon, the latter had a fair explanation for his disappearance. It was just the emotions from dealing with so many customers at the shop. It was a beautiful day, and he didn’t have to get angry at anybody.

He had just shaken the negative thoughts out of his mind when he saw Juyeon walk out of the store with a grocery bag in one hand. The bag looked so heavy that Eric feared it might break, but any worry about that faded away when Juyeon’s eyes found him and the older waved at him with his devastatingly gorgeous smile. Instead, looking at the tall boy walking towards him, dressed in black from head to toe, Eric thought it was his heart that was going to break. The sun shining on the older’s slightly tanned skin didn’t make the boy look any less handsome than usual.

Eric shook the thought off and jogged up to his friend. He was just about to start playfully nagging at the older for taking so long, when Juyeon pulled a hand out of his plastic bag, and handed Eric a wrapped ice cream bar.

Eric stopped all movements and blinked, before looking up at Juyeon’s expression. Juyeon smiled sheepishly. “As a sorry that you had to come all the way here because of me, I got you ice cream while I was inside.”

Eric almost fainted right then and there. It always baffled him that Juyeon, who was, more often than not, very quiet, was so caringly thoughtful. Juyeon never really spoke about how proud he was of someone, or how empathetic he felt towards certain situations, but he was always _there,_ his comforting gestures speaking louder than words. Eric was so in love with that side of Juyeon that it hurt, and seeing Juyeon apologize to him with an ice cream was crushing his heart into a million pieces. Juyeon would be so sweet towards his future lover, and the thought that that person would never be him, suddenly made him very sad.

But Eric didn’t want to worry his friend, he never did. He simply swallowed down the lump that had formed in his throat, and accepted the ice cream with a bright smile.

“Okay, maybe you’re forgiven”, he said teasingly, unwrapping his treat in a flash. He took a bite, closing his eyes to show how good it was. “Thank you hyung”, he said, and Juyeon sent him another heartbreaking smile.

“Well now, maybe we should get going,” Juyeon said, shifting the heavy grocery bag from one hand to the other. It would be a lie to say that Eric hadn’t been looking at the way Juyeon’s defined arm muscles were flexing to hold the bag. “I don’t want to have other people to apologize to.”

Eric snorted. “Oh yeah, about that. Good luck explaining yourself to Chanhee hyung. He was furious.”

Juyeon’s face fell as he threw his head back in despair, almost comically, and Eric laughed at him. They started walking, Eric desperately trying to focus on his ice cream and not on Juyeon’s athletic arms, while Juyeon kept an eye on Eric to make sure the younger wouldn’t bump into anything on the way.

“That’s what happens when you try to be helpful” Juyeon suddenly whined with a pout, that Eric had the bad luck of catching. _That’s so cute, what the fuck_ , Eric found himself thinking with a slight panic.

It was baffling how easy it had been for Eric to forget how angry he had been at the older, or how disappointed he’d been that they hadn’t exchanged a single word at the party the previous Friday. It hadn’t taken much; one ravishing smile, and Eric’s heart had begun beating for the older again, all negative thoughts vanishing in the three seconds it had taken for Juyeon to walk up to him. Juyeon wouldn’t even have had to buy Eric ice cream; his sole presence was enough to make any unnecessary walk worth it.

As he finished his ice cream and threw the stick away in a bin on the street, Eric was very much aware that it was now summer, and that this meant he would be seeing Juyeon a lot more. Now that he had nothing else to focus on other than his silly, stupid crush, the new abundance of time to spend with his friends and with Juyeon would make his efforts to tone down his feelings just about a thousand times more difficult. There was no avoiding Juyeon during the summer, and no evading his lingering thoughts about every single breathtaking detail about Juyeon.

Details like the way his eyes crinkled when he laughed. Like the way he would run his fingers through his soft hair whenever he was confused. Like the way he would ruffle Eric’s hair whenever they joked around, like the way he would pull Eric into a hug whenever he felt happy about something, or the way he would wrap an arm around his shoulders whenever they sat next to each oth–

Eric was suddenly pulled to the side, and the unexpected tug made him stumble a bit on his feet. Disoriented, he hadn’t even realized he had been staring down at his feet during the past minute of the walk, when his head rolled upwards and he was blinded by the sun. He raised a hand up to cover his eyes, almost losing his balance again when he tried to understand what had just happened.

A grip around his waist held him in place just as he thought he was foing to fall backwards, and his eyes suddenly met Juyeon’s. The older let go of him instantly, looking away awkwardly. “You should watch where you’re going”, he mumbled, and scratched the back of his neck with his free hand.

He did that when he was embarrassed.

Eric mentally slapped himself, and finally noticed the lamppost he had been so close to walking right into. His eyes flickered back to Juyeon, the sun shining through his hair and on his fair skin, his shirt well adjusted to his strong built– no. He wasn’t going to think about Juyeon _like that_ for another second, nope.

Eric let out a shy laugh. “Thank you for not letting me die”, he tried to joke, but his heart was racing so fast that it might have not sounded as lighthearted as he’d intended.

But Juyeon, ever profoundly kind and selflessly generous Juyeon, turned back to him with a warm, comforting smile, overlooking any possible awkwardness in Eric’s voice. “Of course, I have to protect you, you clumsy boy”, he said, reaching over to ruffle the top of Eric’s hair.

Eric felt blush instantly creep up his cheeks. _My night in a shining armo_ – _ugh._

Yeah, this summer was going to be a painful one.

The two made it back to the restaurant a few minutes later. Chanhee was pacing around in the kitchen while waiting for them. When he saw the doors open and Juyeon and Eric walking in, he ran up to them to grab the bag that Juyeon was carrying.

“Finally!” he exclaimed, taking a look into the bag. “What took you guys so long?”

Before either Eric or Juyeon could begin to give an excuse, the pink-haired was gone, walking around to distribute the cartons to the other guys. Juyeon and Eric readied themselves to start working again, as quick as they could since the situation in the restaurant didn’t seem to have gotten better since Eric had left earlier. Chanhee stopped Eric before the younger could go back into the dining room.

“We’re almost out of cheese too”, Chanhee declared. “I thought about sending you. You know, this time you could use your skater boy thing to get there faster.”

Eric tilted his head to the side. “You mean... my skateboard?”

“Yeah, _that_ thing.” Chanhee showed a disgusted face. “Anyway, since Hyunjoon got here, Sangyeon said to ask you if we needed to run some errands.”

Chanhee chuckled as he noticed the way Eric’s face fell at his words. “It’s less exciting to leave when Juyeon is staying here, isn’t it?”

“I didn’t say that!” Eric quickly fought back, hitting the older on the arm. “I’ll go, that’s fine.”

Chanhee nodded, a knowing look on his face. Eric still wasn’t leaving, instead observing Chanhee with an offended look. “Stop giving me that face!” he complained.

Chanhee innocently raised his hands. “I didn’t say anything”, he smiled as Eric gave him an annoyed look.

After grabbing his skateboard from the break room and making sure he still had the money Chanhee had given him earlier in his pocket, Eric walked out of the store, holding his head high since he knew Chanhee was watching him. He wasn’t any less happy to help now that there wasn’t a Juyeon outside waiting to be found, nope, not at all. Chanhee should learn to mind his own business.


	8. the parents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flower Snack gets a special visit!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The sangcob in this fic is literally just "sangcob as seen through eric's eyes" lmao
> 
> I'm not so proud of this chapter, if I'm being honest. But I think chapter 9 is quite fun, so I'll try to get it out as soon as possible!  
> (I wouldn't be posting this if I didn't think it was at least readable, so if you've liked the story so far, just know you can read this chapter and it's not worse than any of the others)

Eric definitely felt the different atmosphere in the restaurant as soon as he stepped a foot in. As it was a Monday, and business was usually quite slow on Mondays, Sangyeon had taken the temporary decision that the restaurant wouldn’t officially open before 11, but here Eric was, 9am on a Monday, entering the small shop. Sangyeon had called an emergency meeting the day before, said meeting expressed rather like a _strong invitation_ to come eat free food, and at the same time try to save Sangyeon from his emergency situation.

Everyone who was already at the restaurant when Eric arrived were sitting around an improvised table made out of two smaller tables, except for Sangyeon, who was nervously pacing around the room. The older didn’t even look in Eric’s direction when the small bell above the door rang to announce his arrival. Eric pulled himself a chair, between Juyeon and Kevin. Did he walk around the entire table in order to claim that specific free spot? Of course not. He was just being considerate of his tardy friends who would get an easier access to the spots closer to the door. So what if the farthest spot from the door happened to be right next to Juyeon? A total coincidence.

Noticing the ruckus he was making to sit down and trap his skateboard under his chair, Juyeon and Kevin both turned in his direction. Eric greeted them, and the others greeted him back, before Kevin went back to his conversation with Changmin and Jacob. Juyeon, however, kept his gaze on Eric, smiling warmly.

“Hey, you made it on time”, the older noted with a chuckle.

Eric smiled back, feeling a now familiar heat creep up his cheeks the longer Juyeon stared at him with that affectionate look of his. It was a recent thing, but Eric couldn’t seem to make eye contact with the older anymore without his face burning up.

“It did seem important”, Eric nodded, almost stuttering under the pressure of Juyeon’s gaze on him. But Juyeon’s eyes were nothing but softness and familiarity.

When Juyeon didn’t add anything, Eric’s eyes quickly darted away as he took a better look at the large table, noticing that there was nothing more on it than the usual floral decorations placed there for the customers. “Where’s the food?” Eric asked to no one in particular.

“Food after, emergency first”, Chanhee and Haknyeon recited at the same time from the other side of the table, a bored look on their faces.

Juyeon chuckled at Eric’s surprised face. “Those two got here first, and pretty much everyone who arrived afterwards asked the same question you just did.”

“And is it your job to continue with that line?” Eric grinned.

Juyeon nodded with a laugh. Eric’s heart did a flip in his chest. It was always so easy, with Juyeon. Whatever he would say, the older would always make him feel like it was important, Juyeon always cared, always found Eric’s jokes funny, or adorable. Juyeon always listened, always responded, always gave Eric the attention he secretly craved from him. Eric wanted to slap himself across the face for thinking all of that, when Juyeon would clearly never see him as anything more than a little brother.

Few minutes later, everyone had arrived and Sangyeon finally stopped pacing around to come stand at one end of the table. Despite a few of the guys’ protests that he should also sit down, the oldest stayed on his feet, two hands resting on the edge of the table, gripping it as if he would fall if he didn’t.

“Thank you for coming.” Sangyeon said, biting his lip in stress. He cleared his throat before taking a deep breath in. “So, my parents are staying in Seoul for the week.”

Silence filled the room as the guys exchanged confused looks. Shouldn’t Sangyeon be happy that his parents were coming to visit him? Eric didn’t immediately notice what the urgency in the situation was, and judging from the confused frown Juyeon sent his way, he wasn’t the only one.

“Thanks for wasting our time!” Changmin suddenly exclaimed, annoyed, as he shot up to his feet, brutally pushing his chair back, so hard that it almost fell backwards.

Before he could make another move, Kevin grabbed his forearm. “Min, sit back down”, he asked, gentle but firm.

“Kevin, we had a _date_ –” Changmin argued through gritted teeth, looking at his boyfriend in disbelief, before said boyfriend interrupted him.

“And Sangyeon hyung said it was an emergency.”

Changmin was well too aware that every eye around the table was on him, so he swallowed back the blunt answer he had in mind and sat back down. Eric noticed Kevin starting to gently run his fingers on the younger’s arm, and Changmin sank in his chair, a slight pout on his face. An awkward silence fell onto the boys. No one had said anything, but Eric understood Changmin’s outburst, and he knew most of the other guys did too; Changmin had been really stressed lately, working double and triple hours at his studio that he apparently barely saw Kevin anymore, and Changmin’s roommates claimed to not having seen Changmin at their apartment much.

Sangyeon awkwardly cleared his throat, bringing his friends’ attention back to him. He didn’t say anything for a few seconds, instead sending a confused – _angered_? Eric corrected himself in surprise – glance towards Jacob, who’s worried eyes were communicating silently with Kevin’s tired ones.

“I know it might be hard to see the urgency from this statement alone, so allow me to elaborate”, Sangyeon finally spoke up again, cutting through the tension in the room. “You know what my parents thought about me dropping my medical studies to open a restaurant.”

Eric nodded. More than just Sangyeon’s parents, even the guys had been worried for Sangyeon when they’d first heard the news. Had Sangyeon finished his degree, he would have been able to get a well-paying, stable job, in a field he genuinely seemed to be enjoying. Opening a business had no safety net, anything could happen and Sangyeon could have lost everything. Sangyeon had told them about his discussion with his parents. They had disapproved greatly, were even angry at first. They had hopes for their son, they’d dreamed of having a doctor in the family and all the prestige it would bring them, but Sangyeon was an adult, and they ultimately decided to not interfere with their son’s projects. However, even if they wouldn’t stand in Sangyeon’s way, his friends all knew that getting their approval would mean the world to their friend.

“I found out just yesterday that they’re arriving in Seoul tonight.” Sangyeon closed his eyes for a moment. “And that they’ll come visit here tomorrow.”

After a few seconds of shocked silence, chaos erupted into the room. Questions were thrown around and speculations were already being made. Did Sangyeon know the time of their visit? Would they be here to eat or just to have a look around? Eric had his eyes wide opened as he turned to Juyeon. The both of them were scheduled to work the following day, and knowing how important the event of his parents’ visit must be for Sangyeon, Eric felt his heart start racing as he thought of every possible catastrophe scenario that was, in his mind, _very likely_ to happen exactly tomorrow, out of all the shifts he’d worked at the restaurant. Some horrifying scenarios, like a fire starting in the kitchen, or an armed thief breaking into the shop from the front windows in broad daylight.

“Guys”, Jacob spoke a bit louder than the crowd in order to get their attention. “I think you’re all just making Sangyeon freak out even more right now.”

They all stopped talking and looked at Sangyeon, who was frozen in place.

“You don’t have to be scared, hyung”, Jaehyun said, his words directed at Sangyeon, but he knew that everyone else was also listening. “We can all come in to help tomorrow. We can give them the best Flower Snack House experience that they won’t ever be able to find anyone else!” Jaehyun was beaming with excitement, which sparked a new fire around the table.

“I work tomorrow morning, but I can come in earlier to help clean around”, Haknyeon offered excitedly, Sunwoo grumbling something similar next to him.

“I can stay later tonight if that can help” Younghoon followed.

Sangyeon’s shoulders seemed to relax as the boys around the table gave him similar affirmations. He finally sat down on the chair that had been brought for him, the shadow of a smile forming on his face.

“That’s very generous of you guys”, Sangyeon smiled, embarrassed. “If you work extra, I’ll pay you, of course. But I also won’t force anyone. As friends, just moral support would be enough.”

“What are you talking about, of course we’ll come in, boss!” Kevin teased.

Sangyeon’s smile only grew bigger at Kevin’s words and the reactions of his friends. From the chair next to him, Jacob looked at him, raising two thumbs ups. His boyfriend knew how worried the older had been about asking his friends for help on something like this. He feared that they might not understand, and would prefer to spend their day playing outside instead. The positive reactions had Sangyeon’s worries fly away.

“We should get started on a plan right away” Chanhee suggested.

Eric was up on his feet in no time, disappearing behind the kitchen doors to retrieve some paper and a pen. He returned to the dining room and laid his findings in front of Chanhee, who looked up at him. “What am I, your secretary?” he complained, but still thanked the boy under his breath and grabbed the pen.

It took under half an hour for the group to settle everything down for the next day. Everyone had pitched in ideas so fast that Chanhee’s hand had barely been able to keep up. Right next to himself, Eric had seen Changmin still sulking in Kevin’s arms, but after he’d calmed down he had quickly apologized to Sangyeon, and had volunteered to come in to help the following day.

Eric was satisfied with his appointed task; he’d come in before the opening to be part of the cleaning and decorating team – mostly the cleaning if he was being honest. He didn’t have a really difficult task, but it was an important one, and he’d gotten permission to stay in the restaurant until Sangyeon’s parents would come in. And no one knew exactly when they would, but by the end of the reunion, one thing was clear; no one wanted to, nor _would_ leave until they had heard Sangyeon’s parents’ opinion on Flower Snack House.

The next day, Eric burst through the restaurant’s door, way too early before his shift for what was usual for him, but bubbling with excitement and energy. The sun hadn’t even risen yet, but he was fully awake and ready for the day.

Since the front door had been unlocked, Eric was ready to find his friends already somewhere. No doubt Sangyeon would be there, probably already working, considering how anxious he was for the day. Eric also expected Jacob to be there, as Sangyeon’s very own personal moral support. The dining room was still untouched from the previous closing shift – chairs lifted on top of the tables, lights turned off and some decorations missing.

When Eric found the kitchen in a similar state, he paid it no mind. There was always a lot of paperwork to get done, Sangyeon would probably be holed up in his office with his desk lamp on and piles of important documents spread across his desk.

As the blonde boy skipped energetically towards the hallway to the back of the store, he heard some voices, just as he’d expected, coming out of the office. He got closer, his grin widening as he recognized Sangyeon. But the older sounded quite pissed off, and Eric froze in his tracks.

“You know how important today is to me”, Sangyeon’s voice was accusatory. “You said you would be there, you...”

Eric frowned. He felt his heart sink in his chest during the long silence that followed Sangyeon’s words.

“Baby, I get that Kevin is your friend- but Changmin is there too! He’s always staying at you guys’ apartment, could you not take all the responsibility on yourself for once?”

Another silence fell, and Eric finally understood that Sangyeon was on the phone to Jacob.

“Just for today, Cobie, that’s all I was asking... I need you too”, the older’s voice weakened.

Eric risked taking a step forward, until he had his hand pressed on the half-opened door. He couldn’t see Sangyeon through the small opening, but he hesitantly pushed the door opened, revealing Sangyeon sat back in his chair, one hand holding his phone to his ear, and a closed fist in front of his mouth. He looked up, startled at Eric’s sudden appearance.

“It’s okay”, Sangyeon replied to Jacob after a few seconds, his eyes darting off nervously away from Eric. “You’ll come later though, right?”

A few seconds passed, Sangyeon sinking his teeth a bit onto his white knuckles. His hand was shaking – probably a mix of caffeine and stress, Eric assumed.

“Okay”, Sangyeon sighed softly. “I love you too.”

He ended the call and placed his phone down on the desk in front of him. After another sigh, he looked up towards Eric. They both had guilty looks on their face, although for completely different reasons.

“You’re here early”, Sangyeon commented. “Good morning”, he smiled, but the warmth didn’t reach his eyes.

“I thought the earlier I’d be here the more I’d be able to help”, Eric quickly explained.

He skipped over to his friend, wrapping the older into a comforting bear hug. “It’s gonna be a good day, hyung”, he said, nuzzling his head onto Sangyeon’s shoulder, just enough so that fluffy strands of his hair would tickle at the older’s neck.

“Thank you, Eric”, Sangyeon replied, letting the stress wash out of him for a long minute with his energetic friend hugging him calmingly.

Eric coming in early had indeed turned out to be helpful to Sangyeon, although not in the way Eric had readied himself to when he’d left his house.

Eventually, the other boys who were meant to work for the opening all arrived, and they made the most of the hour they had before the opening of the restaurant. Every single corner of the shop was scrubbed until it was sparkly clean, under Eric’s fastidious supervision. Hyunjoon had a lot of fun re-arranging the flowers and dusting off the unused decorations that were sitting in Sangyeon’s messy office to place them where he felt would fit. Younghoon barely complained when, at the unanimous explanation that he was the tallest of the group, he was tasked with cleaning the large bay windows both from the inside and from the outside of the shop. Jaehyun and Juyeon prepared the kitchen as usual, while Sangyeon was double and triple checking that all the equipment still worked perfectly fine and wouldn’t cause any problems during the day.

Eric started to lose hope when the sun started to go down and Sangyeon’s parents still hadn’t shown up. He could see that his friend had started to lose hope too, disappointment written all over his face. His stress level had gone down by half, at least, if Eric could judge from the way Sangyeon had stopped walking around the place with hawk eyes in search of the smallest things he could fix. Eric began to think that Sangyeon’s parents wouldn’t come at all, and just the thought of it made him angry. All the efforts that they had all made to make the restaurant as perfect as possible, all the stress that each one of them had been under, he couldn’t believe it would have been all for nothing. The more he thought about it, the more it frustrated him, but he kept his customer service smile on and continued taking orders.

As he was bringing an order slip to the kitchens, the bell rang through the place. It rang often, so Eric didn’t pay much attention to it, but the look on Chanhee’s face as he was staring right past Eric’s shoulder was enough for the younger to understand what was happening. The wheels in his brain started to spin as the plan they’d all made together was coming back to his memory. He spun around and bowed at the old couple, as did the other serving team boys. Considering his naturally charming character, it was Haknyeon who had been chosen to take care of their VIP customers.

The raven-haired boy smoothly slipped to Hyunjoon the order pad he was using for the tables he’d been assigned to, and walked to greet the parents. Eric straightened his back and finally handed Chanhee the order slip he was still holding. In the kitchens, he could sense the mood shift as the boys started to run around, yelling orders to one another in some kind of organized chaos.

While Haknyeon was bringing Sangyeon’s parents over to the table they had carefully selected for them, Eric worked at emptying a table, after the family that had been sat there had left the restaurant. He tried not to be obvious while stealing glances towards Sangyeon’s parents, he tried not to make it show that he was studying their reactions to Haknyeon explaining their menu to them.

Eric entered the kitchen again for the billionth time that day to put the dirty plates away, but this time, a small gathering towards the back of the room caught his attention after he’d come out of the storage room where the sink was. Sangyeon was in the middle of it all, with Jaehyun, Changmin and Kevin around him, trying to convince him that he should at least go out and greet his parents, something the older still hadn’t done. Eric spied on the conversation, not so subtle as he moved closer until he was standing right behind Changmin.

“At least just say hi!” Jaehyun was exclaiming.

“It’s not like they don’t know you’re here”, Kevin added. “And since they know, it would be rude not to greet them.”

“I want them to think that this place can work without me having to be involved” Sangyeon protested.

“But you going to say hi has nothing to do with it! You can say you were busy in your office or something. It will make you look like a big bad boss.”

Eric snorted.

“See, even Eric agrees!” Jaehyun grinned.

Eric’s face flushed as the three others turned to face him. Changmin rose an eyebrow in question.

“I-I’ll go back out there”, Eric stuttered in embarrassment.

“Bring Sangyeon hyung with you!” Jaehyun almost shouted, pushing the older towards Eric.

Eric looked at Sangyeon, noticing the worry lines on his forehead and the way the older was nervously biting his lips. “It’s going well so far, I promise.” Eric reassured. “I mean, they didn’t get food yet, but I think they’re pretty impressed with the place already. Your flower wall made quite a first impression!” he exclaimed, playfully shoving the older’s shoulder.

Sangyeon smiled at Eric’s rambling. His words seemed to give him the confidence he needed, because he – to the relief of all the boys in the kitchen – finally walked out to the dining area. Almost everyone peered curiously over the counter to watch the interaction.

Eric was about to head back out to continue with his job, when he heard his name being called. He looked for the person who’d called him, until he finally noticed Juyeon motioning for him to come. Eric made his way to the older boy, who pointed at his shirt with a small chuckle.

“Your name tag is upside down”, he informed the younger.

Eric wanted to smack his head for not noticing it before. How long had his name been displayed the wrong way? Did Sangyeon’s parents notice? It was such a small detail, but it was really important for his image, for the whole picture of the place. This made him look unprofessional, and would bring down the entire appearance of the place if Sangyeon’s parents noticed that their son would let an employee walk around with such a sloppy appearance.

Eric was brought out of his thoughts when he noticed Juyeon’s face transform from a laughing expression to a gentle one.

“Hey, Youngjae-ah”, Juyeon called softly, trying to derail Eric’s catastrophe train of thoughts, as if he could read perfectly what was going on in Eric’s head. “It’s not a big deal. I’m sure they didn’t notice.”

“How would they not notice?” Eric groaned, letting his body dramatically slump forward to hide against Juyeon’s, unconsciously searching for that reassuring hug he knew Juyeon would always give him.

This time however, he noticed Juyeon staying frozen in front of him, his arms not moving up from where they were hanging along his sides. Eric pulled himself back up. “Sorry”, he quickly apologized to a visibly uncomfortable Juyeon.

Eric felt his bubble burst and slap him in the face at the same time. Since when did Juyeon not return a hug from him? Since when did Eric being clingy to Juyeon make the older feel uncomfortable?

“It’s- it’s fine”, Juyeon replied.

Chanhee coughed loudly from next to them. Eric could have sworn he’d caught the words “panicked gay” coming from the older, but he was too preoccupied by his own problems to question the other about it. He quickly fixed his tag, before thanking Juyeon for pointing it out to him.

Without noticing, Eric had waited a split second longer before leaving. Usually, that would be the moment when he’d let Juyeon’s hand ruffle his hair with unspoken fondness as a goodbye, but this time, the gesture never came, instead leaving the two boys staring frozen at each other. When Eric realized what he was doing, he hurriedly turned away and escaped to the dining room, his heartbeat pulsing through his ears.

As Eric returned to the dining room, he couldn’t help but wonder just how Juyeon could have managed to notice Eric’s nametag from how far he had been from him. Especially since, now that he was _really_ thinking about it, Juyeon wasn’t known to have an especially brilliant capacity of paying attention to details. Eric shrugged the thought off as he went to greet a couple that was just walking in. He made sure to be on his best behaviour, as he often had the tendency to slip into a more casual approach with young-looking customers. Sangyeon’s parents could be watching him anytime, and he had to stay professional.

To everyone’s dismay, Sangyeon’s parents ended up staying in the dining room all the way until the closing time. After their meal, they hadn’t ordered more, but it was obvious that they had stayed to observe the way the restaurant was working, staying in their little corner with their cold faces – almost to a scary level, if you asked Eric. With their eyes on him, he felt like he had no room for errors, like every single one of his movements was being scrutinized. He had now been at the restaurant for over 12 hours, and despite having gotten a longer break at lunch, he was starting to feel the exhaustion of such a long work day spent working under the pressure of required perfection. But he had promised to stay until the parents would be gone, and he wouldn’t go back on his words.

When they closed the store, it was with the old couple still in the place. As soon as the door was locked, Sangyeon went up to his parents. Everyone else stopped what they were doing to look at them, and it only took a few seconds for Sangyeon to turn around, his signature bright smile on.

“Come here guys! Bring the leftovers!” he shouted through the restaurants, sounding just as comfortable as he was whenever he would do a closing like that with some of his friends.

Everyone immediately started moving again. Eric and Hyunjoon both reached for one of the tables in the center of the restaurant, the one they always used whenever their whole group ate together. They carried it to their usual arrangement, a few seconds before the cooking team was entering the room with cauldrons, pans and plates filled with leftover food. Everyone sat around the table and only then exchanged awkward looks, unsure to wait for the parents to join them or to start pigging out right away. Silence fell back on them, and they all glanced towards Sangyeon to wait for his instructions.

They didn’t have to question themselves for long, as Sangyeon pulled two chairs at the end of the long table and motioned for his parents to take them. He himself took a seat next to them.

“This is one of the ways we found to not waste any food” Sangyeon explained to his parents with a relaxed smile. That “we” he had used didn’t go unnoticed by Sangyeon’s parents, but it was so _Sangyeon,_ always talking about the restaurant as a collective, never taking the individual credit he was due for being the owner and the manager of the place.

“C’mon guys, don’t be shy”, he chuckled, reaching for a clean plate for himself. “Bon appétit!”

Just like that, everyone unfroze again, and hands were thrown around to try and reach for the different items scattered across the long table.

“Thanks for the food, boss-hyung!” Haknyeon shouted excitedly, followed by the rest of them.

Eric reached for a bowl in which he placed a portion of noodles. From besides him, Sunwoo wordlessly handed him a glass of water. With his mouth stuffed, Eric gave him a finger heart as a thank you. Sunwoo fake gagged, and immediately turned to his boyfriend instead. Haknyeon, who hadn’t been paying attention, simply cooed at Sunwoo’s pouty face, before pinching his cheek with his free hand.

Once the plates were empty, Sangyeon asked for everyone’s attention. Considering the noise level around the table, it took him a while, but eventually everyone was listening.

“So, my parents told me that they want to give some feedback to all of you guys. Before I let them do that, I just want...” Sangyeon turned to his parents. “Mom, dad, I want to thank you for coming here today. I know how much you doubted me when I first started, but I hope that today showed you that this is what I’m truly passionate about.”

Eric’s jaw almost dropped when he saw the outline of smiles forming on the parents’ faces.

“It’s nice to see that our Sangyeon-ie is surrounded by such amazing boys.” Sangyeon’s mother spoke up, her gaze scanning the room. “Jinwook and I enjoyed our experience here. You are all such well-mannered boys.” She made a pause to look at her son, a motherly smile on. “I have to say that I am pleasantly surprised. This is not what I was expecting, at all. I thought overall this place seemed to be disorganized, but when we see you all working together, we can really see how united you guys are.”

“I could tell you guys were holding yourselves back in front of us”, Sangyeon’s father laughed. “But even then, I felt like I was in a family-run business. You’re all really adorable together. Son,” he placed a hand on Sangyeon’s shoulder, “it was difficult for us to come to terms with the fact that you wished to abandon your studies. Seeing you here made me realize how happy this place is making you. I think this is the greatest thing I could have wished for you. I’m sorry we didn’t support you before. From now on, you have our blessings.”

Despite the large smile adorning Sangyeon’s face, Eric couldn’t miss the tear rolling down his friend’s cheek.

“It means a lot”, Sangyeon said, before he bit his lip and nodded, as if he was holding himself back from crying.

When the old couple left, not after having thanked each of the boys individually for being a part of Sangyeon’s life, everyone sighed in relief. Sangyeon dropped his head back on his chair, and in under two seconds, Jacob was hugging him closely. Eric wanted to throw up at how cute they were, and when he looked to the side, he caught a glimpse of Haknyeon trying to feed Sunwoo some food that was still left on his plate. Eric quickly looked away. His gaze then fell onto the – thankfully – only other couple in their friend group, Kevin and Changmin. The art student was falling asleep on his boyfriend’s shoulder, while the dancer gently brushed his cheek, all the while having a soft conversation with Chanhee next to him.

Eric didn’t mind being single, really. But seeing everyone being all over each other, sometimes Eric wished he had someone to cuddle, someone on whom he could pour all the excess of love laying still in his heart. Unconsciously, his gaze drifted towards Juyeon, who was laughing at whatever stupid story Jaehyun was exaggerating from next to him. His silent laughter was sending butterflies all through Eric’s stomach. He had to pinch himself back to reality, looking away before anyone could catch him staring.

The tap that prevented all of Eric’s unused love from overflowing was suddenly clogging painfully. The person Eric’s heart wanted to reach was so close, yet Eric had to grit his teeth and use all of his might to prevent himself from exploding into a pathetic flood of unrequited love.


	9. new uniforms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After his parents' visit, Sangyeon decides to give everyone some new uniforms.

It was two weeks after Sangyeon’s parents had visited Flower Snack. Eric was at the restaurant on this busy weekend afternoon, working harder than ever to satisfy the customers.

There was currently one table left empty, but there was no doubt in Eric’s mind that someone would come occupy it within the next minutes. He worked diligently, managing to stay focused despite knowing his best friend was in the kitchens today, and he could so easily slack off to go talk to the red-haired boy. Eric liked to consider himself professional, so he didn’t give in, and stayed with the customers. Despite how busy the restaurant was, the atmosphere was light, people were nice to Eric, for once everyone was treating him like a human instead of like a robot. It made him feel better about being stuck inside on such a beautiful day.

Just as he was handing a customer their coffee, the entrance door opened and a small group of friends walked in. Eric counted five of them, cheering internally when he realized that the only empty table left in the shop was a table that could fit them. He greeted them with his usual bright smile and led them towards the table, a bit at the back of the restaurant, closer to the kitchens than to the front door. He quickly grabbed some menus from under the register and went back to set them in front of the boys.

The customers looked around his age, which was something Eric was always enthusiastic about. He found customers his age way more comfortable to speak to, as he allowed himself to bring out a casual side of himself, more relaxed and sometimes even playful. Some could say that Eric often got _too_ comfortable around guests his age, but it had never been a problem.

From behind the kitchen counter, Juyeon was looking over at the scene with subconscious curiosity. He didn’t realize he was staring so openly at Eric and that everyone else could see him do it. Instead, he was focused on trying to balance his attention between the food in front of him and the young waiter a few feet away. He could see Eric’s side profile, his cute nose catching the sunlight coming from the bay window. The blonde had his sweater’s sleeves rolled up, and a white bandana held his hair in place.

The boy was smiling, kindly going over the menu and the special offers of the day for probably the billionth time that hour, but he still maintained the same cheerful attitude, like he was genuinely happy to be explaining everything to the boys in front of him. To Juyeon, it was fascinating. He knew he himself would have been bored out of his mind after only two or three repetitions.

Juyeon’s curiosity rose up when one of the male customers started speaking directly to Eric. He couldn’t hear the discussion really well, but the boy’s words made Eric laugh as he responded enthusiastically. Juyeon was pretty sure what they were saying had nothing to do with the menu, or the restaurant at all. The other four boys around the table had their heads bent over their own menus, sparing no attention to the waiter and their friend. It was only Eric and that boy talking, and Juyeon could have sworn he caught the customer winking at the blonde waiter.

“Do you think he’s flirting with him?”

The question made Juyeon jump. He whipped his head around only to be face to face with Sunwoo’s playful grin.

“It sure looks like that customer is flirting with Eric”, Chanhee replied on a sarcastic tone, “but it doesn’t look like Eric is flirting back.”

“But Chanhee hyung”, Sunwoo exaggerated a confused expression, “that guy is exactly Eric’s type. Why would he not flirt back?” Sunwoo hummed, as if he was thinking, before he placed a hand on Juyeon’s shoulder. “Any idea why, hyung?”

Juyeon simply frowned. Was this customer really Eric’s type? Eric wasn’t shy, Juyeon knew that Eric never hesitated to ask complete strangers for their numbers if they had even so much as one interest in common, but this time, it didn’t look like Eric was flirting back with the boy. Juyeon knew Eric was able to be a flirt – the rush of memories of Eric flirting with other people made his heart race – and that had he been interested, he had everything it took to respond to the boy’s advances. If he wasn’t flirting back, the customer was probably just not his type, right?

“How do you know he’s his type?”

The question came out before Juyeon could think twice and hold it in. He didn’t see as Sunwoo and Chanhee exchanged knowing looks, before Chanhee dramatically put down the spoon he was holding.

“First and foremost, he looks tall, and he’s quite good-looking”, Chanhee stated.

“He looks like the shy type who acts confident.” Sunwoo added.

“He’s quiet, but he knows how to maintain a conversation that interests Eric.”

“He can make him laugh, and they don’t even know each other yet. Bonus points.”

“Totally his type, but Eric’s still just being professional.” Chanhee shook his head in fake disapproval.

Juyeon took a better look at the customer. He noticed with slight irritation that, like Chanhee had pointed out, the guy was indeed good-looking. He looked mature, with his sharp jawline and his slanted eyes, yet his facial expressions were soft and friendly.

If Juyeon was pretty confident in himself and his appearance, humbly ranking himself above the average, he felt like a commoner in comparison to the boy Eric was still talking to. Taking Sunwoo and Chanhee’s words, Juyeon couldn’t understand why Eric didn’t look even a tad bit interested in the customer. He could tell so by the way Eric was standing, his back straight, like the professional waiter he claimed to be. Juyeon could see it when Eric’s attitude turned completely casual; he would start to gesticulate energetically to put emphasis on the words he spoke, and he would throw his body around as he laughed. At the moment, Eric didn’t look uncomfortable, he looked professional. Why wasn’t he flirting back with the boy? Juyeon felt a wave of relief as an answer popped in his mind. Eric wasn’t interested.

He internally shook his head. Why did it matter to him if Eric flirted or not? He should be happy that a guy was interested in his friend. Eric deserved to be loved. Eric deserved so much love, he deserved someone to keep him in check when he got carried away and stopped taking care of himself, he deserved someone to give Eric as much as Eric gave to others, because Eric was so selflessly generous, he always managed to make everyone around him happy without asking for anything in return. Eric deserved someone to hold him like he was the most precious thing in the world, he deserved to be kissed for all the light he carried around him, praised for the way he always gave his all to the things that were important to him.

The guy that was speaking to Eric, would he be able to give Eric that? Juyeon felt his stomach churn in uncalled-for jealousy. He knew nothing about the boy, but he knew for a fact that he certainly didn’t deserve to lay his ungrateful hands on his friend. He didn’t know Eric, he would never be able to appreciate him for every beautiful and delicate things he was, he would never understand how to properly treat the literal ball of sunshine that was Eric, because the younger _was_ cheerful and big-hearted, yes, but he was also fragile and sensitive. That guy wouldn’t be able to read past Eric’s bright and cheerful front on the days the younger was secretly broken inside, he wouldn’t know how to comfort the younger or help him through the storm he was stuck in when he needed someone to help him out. He would do none of that, not like Juyeon would. Juyeon had known Eric for longer, had washed the clouds away from the younger until his sunny self shined again, he’d held him in his arms so many times and Eric always _reveled_ in Juyeon’s embrace like in no one else’s, Eric belonged in his arms and in his arms only.

Shit.

Was Juyeon selfish for wanting Eric all for himself?

“Earth to Juyeon” Sunwoo called, smirking at the older.

Juyeon flinched, turning to his younger friend with embarrassment written all over his face as if he had just been caught. He could hear Chanhee snicker at him from his other side.

“You don’t have to worry, hyung, you’re way better looking than that guy.” Sunwoo said, nodding in self-approval.

“Yeah, I think that Eric’s not flirting because he already has someone else in mind”, Chanhee chirped in from behind him.

Juyeon stood clueless, his gaze alternating between Sunwoo and Chanhee. The two boys were looking at him with innocent looks on their faces. To say Juyeon was confused would be a complete understatement. Seeing his expression, Chanhee let out a deep sigh. “We did not just describe you as Eric’s ideal type for you to still not get the message. I’m begging you, Juyeon.”

“Hyung!” Haknyeon suddenly appeared in front of them, from the other side of the counter, not giving Juyeon a chance at processing Chanhee’s words.

“Is my order for table 4 coming or what?” Haknyeon asked, sounding a bit annoyed.

Chanhee glanced back at Sunwoo’s empty work space towards the back of the kitchen, and back at his and Juyeon’s. “Sorry, Hak. Give me a second.”

Chanhee gave Juyeon a pat on the back and went to take care of the food Sunwoo had abandoned over at his spot. Juyeon was frozen in place, his eyes not even seeing Haknyeon, almost looking right through him at Eric, who was still taking orders from that same table.

“He’s got a crush on you, dumbass”, Sunwoo whispered to his ear, before he leaned over the counter to start chatting with Haknyeon.

Sunwoo’s words kept replaying in Juyeon’s mind for the next hour of his work shift. Chanhee hadn’t brought the topic back, but had given Juyeon some very unsubtle looks every time Eric came up to them to pick up some trays or to drop them his order slips. Half an hour before the end of Juyeon’s shift, Sangyeon’s head peaked out from his office.

“Juyeon! Could you come here for a sec?” the older called.

Juyeon turned to Chanhee, who nodded at him as a way to tell him he’d be fine on his own. Juyeon joined Sangyeon in his office, raising an eyebrow when his friend asked him to close the door behind him.

“Am I in trouble?” he asked jokingly.

Sangyeon had the widest smile on his face, gesturing for Juyeon to sit down. Juyeon took the other chair of the room, only then noticing the big cardboard box sitting on Sangyeon’s desk. The restaurant owner put his hands on the box, pulling it towards him. Juyeon noticed the box had already been opened, and Sangyeon only had to unfold the top of it to reveal its content.

“I ordered the team some custom uniforms for the shop”, Sangyeon revealed proudly. “And I figured I’d need a model to check if the fit is right.”

Juyeon’s eyes widened in surprise. “Uniforms?” he asked, slightly shocked.

When Sangyeon had opened business, Juyeon had been one of the guys who had asked him if there were going to be uniforms. Sangyeon had told them no, under the excuse that letting his friends/employees wear their own clothes would add to the restaurant’s casual ambience, and would better portray the “family” feeling of the place. They only had a few restrictions as to which clothes they could wear: no inappropriate messages, no massive clothes that could get in the way of their work. Everyone thought those rules were fair, and they were happy to be able to bring their own personal touch into their workspace.

At Juyeon’s surprise, Sangyeon giggled. The older reminded Juyeon of a kid sometimes, which was an interesting feeling when he knew that his friend was not only older than him, but also his boss.

“I got the idea when my parents came to visit. My mom said something about the restaurant looking mismatched. I think with uniforms, it will give us a good image. I got Hyunjoon-ie to help me out with the design, and I received them today! You wanna see?”

Juyeon gave him a nod, which was enough for Sangyeon to squeal in excitement. He rummaged through the box, tossing some fabric to the side, until he pulled out what looked like a white button-up shirt, along with some black pants. Sangyeon pushed the pieces of clothing towards Juyeon.

“Go try them on, and come show me afterwards!”

Juyeon took the clothes in his hands and stood up. After one last look at Sangyeon’s excited face, Juyeon locked himself into the small employee’s bathroom. He had no problem trading his comfortable t-shirt for the button-up. Once he took a look at himself in the mirror, he noticed the minor details on the piece. Some subtle flower embroidery adorned the area over the right side of his chest, where his name was also embroidered. “Chef Juyeon”, he read with a quiet laugh. The shirt was a bit see-through, but Juyeon thought it might just be caused by the neon lights of the bathroom. It would be just fine in the dark of the kitchen.

He then put on the pants. They felt incredibly comfortable against his skin, something totally out of Juyeon’s expectations. When Sangyeon had pronounced the word “uniform”, Juyeon had outright thought he was doomed. He didn’t have an ounce of trust in Sangyeon’s fashion sense, even less for work uniforms. But, he had to admit, his friend had done a good job, well, if Hyunjoon had been involved in the process, it really wasn’t a surprise that the end result was polished up to the smallest details. He glanced at himself in the mirror to help himself as he tucked the button-up into his pants. Spinning around, he made a satisfied smile as he noticed that the pants were perfectly giving his body justice. He readjusted the sleeves, and came out of the bathroom.

The door to Sangyeon’s office was wide-opened, and there was no sign of life inside of the small space. Juyeon ventured himself towards the back of the store, checking if Sangyeon had went to occupy himself around the dish-washing station, or in the break room. Still not finding his friend, Juyeon risked himself to go look out for him in the kitchens. He figured the older would want the uniform to be a surprise to the others, and he didn’t want to be the one to spoil it, but he wasn’t just going to wait around for Sangyeon to reappear.

His friend was indeed in the kitchen, helping Sunwoo out as it looked like the younger was struggling with his cooking. Juyeon carefully approached them, until he was close enough to tap Sangyeon’s shoulder. But he hadn’t even lifted his hand when the sound of dishes shattering brought immediate silence through the entire restaurant.

Juyeon’s head whipped around towards the source of the noise. It sounded like it came from closer than the dining area, and that theory was proven right when Juyeon noticed the food splattered on the high counter. There was no sight of the broken plates. Juyeon guessed they must have slipped on the floor, explaining the mess on the counter, and the loud noise it had made.

Sangyeon almost collided into Juyeon as he hurried towards the commotion. He placed his hands on a shaken-looking Chanhee’s shoulders, making sure the boy was okay.

“Did you hurt yourself? Let me see your hands”, Juyeon could hear Sangyeon say.

“I’m fine, hyung. It’s not me who dropped them.” Chanhee gestured towards the other side of the counter.

Juyeon couldn’t see anything, but a few seconds later, Eric’s head appeared, followed by his hands who dropped shards of broken plates onto the counter.

“Oh my god, Eric, be careful!” Sangyeon almost screamed. “I’ll go get the broom. Don’t touch anything!”

Sangyeon hurriedly moved around the kitchen until he retrieved the broom. Amongst the panic, Sunwoo hadn’t yet noticed that Juyeon was standing right next to him, and Juyeon had forgotten about the younger as well. As Sangyeon entered the dining area, Sunwoo finally saw Juyeon, and had to make a double-check at his friend’s outfit.

“Hyung?” he asked, confusion audible in his voice.

Juyeon broke out of his frozen state to turn to the boy. The red-haired was looking at his outfit.

“Oh”, Juyeon finally reacted. “I think it was meant to be a surprise. We’re getting uniforms. Don’t tell anyone!” He quickly added the last part.

“Then you better go hiding before the others see you”, Sunwoo suggested, but stopped himself as a realization hit him. “Wait- wow, I think I just understood what happened.”

Sunwoo erupted in laughter, Juyeon shushing him in hopes they wouldn’t attract attention on them. “Yah! What’s so funny?” he asked, slightly annoyed at the younger’s loud antics.

“Your ass looks fucking good in those pants”, Sunwoo laughed in disbelief. “And is that shirt see-through? Wow, I can’t believe him.”

Juyeon’s eyes narrowed in confusion. “Who, Sangyeon hyung?” he asked.

Sunwoo regained his breath, but the corners of his eyes were still sparkling, as if he was about to burst out again anytime. “No, Eric. I bet he saw you when you walked in- the timing is just too great. Please, he’s so pathetic at this point it shouldn’t even be funny.”

Sunwoo hid his face in his hands, and Juyeon could easily guess that he was laughing again. Juyeon’s cheeks had turned a bright shade of red. He tried to stutter out an answer, but the words got caught in his throat.

“Yah, Juyeon, stop disturbing Sunwoo!” Chanhee’s voice suddenly echoed, making Juyeon realize that the boy had joined them. “Oh, nice ass, by the way. Sunwoo, get back to work!”

The comment simply threw Sunwoo back into his laughing fit, the boy curling into himself as he held his stomach. Chanhee gave him an annoyed look, before starting to nag at him to start working again. Juyeon took the opportunity to escape, still mortified by what had just happened. He should have just waited in Sangyeon’s office from the beginning.

He waited only a few minutes, before a frantic Sangyeon came rushing in, barely acknowledging Juyeon’s presence. Behind him followed a timid Eric, his hands held up in front of him. Sangyeon pulled out his first-aid kit from a drawer of his desk. As he was looking for what he needed, Eric and Juyeon made eye contact, Eric looking away as soon as their eyes met. The younger looked embarrassed, Juyeon thought his cheeks looked like they were turning pink. Was Sunwoo’s theory really what had happened? Juyeon couldn’t help but feel himself boasting with pride at the thought.

Sangyeon pulled out his desk chair and motioned for Eric to sit down. The blonde obliged, more than obviously avoiding looking in Juyeon’s direction. Juyeon only just then noticed that the younger’s hands were bleeding, a small amount, but enough for Sangyeon’s parental instincts to kick in. Eric looked like a kid who’d hurt himself in the playground, pouting in embarrassment but staying still as Sangyeon kneeled in front of him and started to disinfect the wounds.

“I never knew you to be a clumsy boy”, Sangyeon teased, visibly relieved as soon as there was no blood in sight anymore. “What happened?”

Eric chewed at his lip. “It was an accident”, he muttered under his breath, his eyes glued to Sangyeon’s hands working on his.

“Oh yeah?” Sangyeon mocked, a small smile on his lips. “I’m glad to know you didn’t drop them on purpose, but I’d like to know what happened. You know, so I can prevent if from happening again.”

Eric stayed silent for a while, watching as Sangyeon applied band-aids over his cuts. _Maybe you should forget about giving us uniforms_ , Juyeon thought, chuckling at himself.

The other two simultaneously whipped their heads towards him. Juyeon stared back, his face flushing. Did he really just say that out loud?

His friends’ expressions were complete opposites. Sangyeon’s face was torn in confusion, his mouth half-opened as he searched for a way to question Juyeon about his words. Eric was, finally, looking at Juyeon, eyes wide opened like a boy who’d just been caught stealing cookies from his parents’ pantry. Juyeon shook his head, feeling the heat growing on his face. “F-forget it”, he stuttered.

It was Sangyeon’s turn to shake his head. “No, tell me, is there something wrong with the uniforms?” He looked a bit sad, and Juyeon felt bad after knowing how excited his friend had been to show him the pieces of clothing. “Eric-ah,” he turned to the boy, “what do you think of them? It doesn’t look that bad, does it?”

There was no ill-intent behind Sangyeon’s words, but Eric and Juyeon both tensed up at the question. Eric silently looked over Juyeon’s button-up in search for an answer to give Sangyeon. Juyeon could feel his gaze burning through his skin, until he remembered the way the shirt looked a bit transparent under the bathroom’s lighting. He didn’t know how it looked under the comfortable lights of Sangyeon’s office, but he could picture it judging from Eric’s reaction, his cheeks and his ears turning a darker shade of red.

“I-it l-looks fine, hyung” Eric replied, bringing his gaze away from Juyeon.

Sangyeon shot him a skeptical look. He stood up and crossed his arms on his chest. “Okay, guys, I’m not dumb. What’s going on?” he asked.

Neither of the other two spoke up. Juyeon looked at Eric, almost waiting for the younger to speak first, even though his head hung so low that Juyeon couldn’t read him through his facial expressions.

“Eric-ah”, Sangyeon sighed. “You’re not in trouble for breaking a couple of plates.”

A knock on the door made them all look up. The door was slowly opening, Chanhee peaking inside. “I don’t want to interrupt, but we’d need help if possible.”

Sangyeon eyed his friends. Juyeon could almost see the moment Sangyeon seemed to realize the nature of the problem, before he untangled his arms and followed after Chanhee. He turned around to face them. “Talk it out”, he said, closing the door behind him.

Silence fell into the room. Eric still refused to look up, which made Juyeon’s heart break. How embarrassed must his friend feel to be acting like that? Eric usually had such a strong character, always acting like nothing could bring him down, dealing with awkwardness and stepping over his pride better than anyone else. Juyeon bit his lip, trying to find the best way to get to the boy.

“Youngjae” he called softly. “It’s okay. I’d lose it over my ass too.”

Humour was always a safe route to take to get to Eric.

Eric groaned and hid his face in his hands. “I’m sorry hyung, it’s nothing like that, I promise.”

So it _was_ about the way he looked in this uniform, Juyeon realized in a pleased shock.

“I can’t guarantee you will look as good in your uniform, though.” Juyeon teased further. He was testing a limit, and he knew it, but the newfound knowledge that Eric had been sent into such a state because of _him_ was intoxicating.

Eric still didn’t dare show his face.

“I know I won’t”, the younger mumbled in embarrassment.

Juyeon smiled at the reply. “Will you let me be the judge of that?” he asked, a sudden burst of confidence in him.

Eric coughed in surprise, before he ducked completely behind the desk, his forehead hitting his knees. He was silent for a few seconds before Juyeon heard him speak again. “Please stop teasing me”, he whined, barely audible because of his awkward position.

“I’m sorry” Juyeon apologized, his cocky attitude dropping instantly. Had he made the younger even more uncomfortable? He was just trying to get rid of the tension in the room. Since when was he not able to find the right words to get through to Eric?

“This is so embarrassing” Eric’s voice came, barely louder than before.

Juyeon simply couldn’t hold back the comment that followed.

“I get people fawning over my ass every day”, Juyeon barely exaggerated, “it’s totally fine, Youngjae-ah.”

Eric sat up, his face out in the open for the first time since they’d been alone. He was giving Juyeon a “ _seriously?”_ kind of look, but Juyeon could see his eyes were back to their playful glint. “You’re so full of yourself, aren’t you?” Eric chuckled.

Juyeon smiled, relieved to see the normal Eric coming back to life. “Don’t I have every reason to be?”

He made a show of running a hand through his dark hair, winking at the younger with a grin. Eric made an offended face. “Yah, stop that!” he yelled, making Juyeon laugh.

“I’ll let you know I’m handsome too”, Eric argued as Juyeon’s laughter died down. “And your sorry ass can’t compare to mine.”

He stood up, shooting Juyeon finger guns and left the office to go back to work. The dumb smile on Juyeon’s face took a good minute to fade, until Eric’s words had properly sunk in. Was that Eric flirting back with him, even just as a joke? Probably not, but Juyeon wanted to scold himself at the hopeful feeling that grew inside of him nonetheless, his heart racing so unsettlingly fast for the boy he only just realized he had a pretty deep-seated crush on.


	10. to the beach!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Jaehyun and Sunwoo spontaneously decide to join forces... this is what happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)

Ever since the “uniforms incident”, Eric and Juyeon had only been seen walking on eggshells around each other. Needless to say, after the fiasco it had caused, Sangyeon had decided to rethink the uniforms, but the damage to Eric and Juyeon’s friendship was already done. Eric was painfully evident in his avoidance, while Juyeon would look like a kicked puppy anytime the younger would purposely seem to ignore his existence. Jaehyun had tolerated their behaviour for an entire week, but now he had enough.

Jaehyun had always gotten along really well with his two roommates. Of course, they had already been friends for a long time before moving in together, but sometimes even the best of friends didn’t make good roommates. That wasn’t the case for Jaehyun, Juyeon and Changmin. Even though Changmin had recently been spending most of his time over at Kevin and Jacob’s apartment, whenever the three of them did share their living space, no problem had ever occurred. They all had their designated chores, they respected each other’s privacy, and they just clicked really well as friends.

However, for the past week, Jaehyun couldn’t recognize his best friend. With Changmin spending pretty much the entire week at Kevin’s, Jaehyun was left alone with a Juyeon that he hadn’t seen in a really long time. Juyeon had become lazy, leaving his dirty clothes and unwashed plates all over the apartment, even in the shared areas, without an ounce of guilt. Not that Jaehyun was very inclined to cleanliness himself, but there was always a limit to what one could tolerate.

The first day, Jaehyun had simply thought Juyeon had been tired, and he had cleaned everything up for him, just like Juyeon had done for him countless of times when Jaehyun was going through his own rough patches. He hadn’t even made a comment about what a great and supportive friend he was, and had given Juyeon some space to himself instead. But as the week went on, Jaehyun managed to piece together what the problem was, and he couldn’t believe his best friend was acting this way because of a _boy_.

So Jaehyun being Jaehyun, he took the matter into his own hands. He picked up Juyeon’s shift at the restaurant for the current day in hopes of getting the chance to confront either Eric himself, or Sunwoo, as the both of them were on the schedule. As he expected, Eric had gotten Haknyeon to replace him – probably Sunwoo’s doing. After working with Juyeon one very awkward time since the uniform incident, Eric had mysteriously started to move his schedule around so that he would never cross paths with the older. Jaehyun thought it was childish, but Juyeon wasn’t acting any better, so he refrained from making any comment directly at Eric.

Jaehyun was alone in the kitchen, with Sunwoo being a few meters away. The younger had taken Chanhee’s usual workplace, probably so that he could talk to Haknyeon as he worked. Jaehyun had let him be, even though he technically was the one supposed to work in that spot at the counter, in order to be closer to the customers and ready to fix any arising problems. Sangyeon had told them that he wouldn’t specifically choose people to put in charge of each working shift, the oldest at the restaurant would simply be in charge. It was a system that worked, Jaehyun often finding himself being the oldest, but he didn’t mind taking care of the youngers, and that included their workplace too.

Jaehyun eyed the dining area, noticing that it was slowly emptying out, and that this was the perfect timing for the confrontation he had been building up in his head ever since the beginning of his shift. As he brought the last order of noodles on his list over to Sunwoo, he stayed by the younger.

“I need to talk to you”, he said, a bit sharper than he’d intended to.

Sunwoo looked up in surprise, almost dropping the cutting knife he was holding.

“About what?” he asked.

“Turns out that _my_ best friend has been mopping for an entire week because of _your_ best friend.” Jaehyun accused, folding his arms over his chest.

“And this is my fault how?” Sunwoo asked, perplexed.

“It’s not your fault...” Jaehyun trailed. It really wasn’t Sunwoo’s fault. “But you didn’t do anything to help, either.”

Sunwoo gasped, fully turning around to face Jaehyun with a mean glare. “You really think I didn’t try to do something about it? Hyung, we both know Eric has a crush on Juyeon, he’s just too much of a coward to do anything about it. Also, may I remind you that _my_ best friend kinda accidentally confessed, whilst _your_ best friend laughed it out and tried to go back to acting normal around him.”

Jaehyun was taken aback. He’d heard of what had happened, but to hear it being put like that, his heart couldn’t help but ache for the younger. And his frustration towards Juyeon simply amplified.

“Eric was really hurt, you know?” Sunwoo continued. “He saw it as a rejection, and I can’t blame him for it. So _you_ should go and find your best friend some balls before I have to take care of it myself.”

Sunwoo looked back at his cooking, an annoyed scowl on his face. He started filling up a plate with vegetables, and arranging a plastic tray, making sure that everything on the order was ready. Jaehyun simply blinked, the younger’s threat weighing on his mind.

“You know, maybe we can take care of it together” Jaehyun thought out loud, making Sunwoo’s head snap back towards him.

“And what, lock them inside a closet until they kiss?” he replied sarcastically. “I bet they’d still find a way to come out of there holding hands and still claiming to be best friends.”

Jaehyun chuckled at the idea, then shaking his head. “That’s not really what I had in mind. What about a full-on date?”

Sunwoo stopped all movements, seriously considering his friend’s words. “Hyung, I like how you’re thinking” he grinned pensively. Jaehyun could see the wheels spinning in the younger’s head as his facial traits lit up into a fully devilish smirk.

Two days later, Jaehyun was sprawled over his living room couch, still in his pajamas despite it being well past noon already. He was pretending to be lazily scrolling through his instagram, but in reality, his mind was jumping everywhere and keeping tabs on all parts of the plan that him and Sunwoo were slowly putting into place. He kept an eye on Juyeon, who was eating a late lunch at the kitchen table, while he exchanged messages back and forth with Sunwoo, when a notification suddenly popped up on top of his screen.

**jacob** : anyone up for a trip to the beach tonight?

Jaehyun could barely hide his smirk. First step of the plan: check. Even with the evidence right in front of him, he still couldn’t believe Sunwoo had managed to get Jacob in on it. For the success of the plan, they had chosen to not tell everyone, but getting Jacob on their side had been a necessity, as they needed him to organize the evening. Neither Juyeon nor Eric would ever get suspicious over a hang out suggested by Jacob.

**eric** : oooh count me in!!

**changmin** : me2 :)

**jacob** : i bet kevin works tonight?

**changmin** : yes :(

**chanhee** : if changmin’s going without kevin, i’m coming too

**sunwoo** : hak and i are coming

**chanhee** : phones off at work!

**sangyeon** : wait aren’t you at work rn chanhee

**chanhee** : ...

**eric** : hahaha he’s sulking rn

**sangyeon** : what about you eric sohn

**eric** : hi i’m youngjae-

**haknyeon** : YOUNGHOON HYUNG JUST SNATCHED BOTH THEIR PHONES HAHAHA

**haknyeon** : (hyung i’m on break pls don’t get the wrong idea :))

Jaehyun stole a glance at Juyeon. Why was he not replying? Was he not looking at his phone? Jaehyun narrowed his eyes and noticed that Juyeon was, in fact, looking directly at the screen, barely paying attention to his food. Jaehyun sighed, hating the fact that he’d have to push the younger again.

“Are you not going?” he asked.

Juyeon’s head perked up in surprise. He stayed silent for a few seconds, mentally preparing an excuse to give Jaehyun, the older was sure of it. “I’m not sure if I should.” And there it was.

Jaehyun rolled his eyes, sighing loudly. “Is this about Eric?”

The younger stayed silent, his gaze trailing somewhere in front of him. He was nervously biting at his lips. “I don’t want to ruin it for him if he wants to go. He’s not going to be himself if I’m there.”

Jaehyun felt like gripping at his hair in frustration. This was not going as planned, but he wasn’t one to give up easily.

“Maybe hanging out would help the both of you?” Jaehyun suggested carefully. He couldn’t give everything away, but if he couldn’t get Juyeon out of their apartment, all of this would be for nothing.

“Not if you’re not there to play mediator”, Juyeon replied. “And I know you have work, so.”

“Juyeon, don’t think I haven’t noticed how this situation is making you feel. It’s not going to fix itself, sometimes, you just have to be a big guy and make the first step.”

“What do you even know?” Juyeon suddenly snapped. Jaehyun winced. “You have no idea how it feels to find out your friend has a crush on you, on the very same day you realize you also have a crush on them, and then to react _so badly_ in front of them that they aren’t comfortable even just being around you anymore, and the situation is making them feel so bad that they completely avoid you– yah, what are you smiling about?”

Jaehyun hadn’t even realized he had been smiling, really. This was just the first time he had ever heard Juyeon openly say he had a crush on Eric– a very good first step, if you asked Jaehyun.

“You have a crush on him”, Jaehyun gave him a knowing look, dragging an annoyed frown out of Juyeon.

“No I don’t.”

“You just said you did”, Jaehyun was smirking wider than ever.

Juyeon gave him an eyeroll, and looked at him in disbelief. Jaehyun shrugged innocently. “Now that you’re finally aware of it yourself, why don’t you do something about it?”

“Oh, genius, why didn’t I think of that?” Juyeon scoffed. “You know what, hyung, maybe I can decide for myself, okay, so please leave me alone.”

Jaehyun watched in shock as Juyeon got out, angrily walking straight into his bedroom, slamming the door behind him. A few seconds passed. Jaehyun’s phone beeped, signaling him he’d just gotten a new message.

**sunwoo** : How is it going?

**jaehyun** : bad. i think he’s mad at me :(

**sunwoo** : hyung!!! you. ugh.

**sunwoo** : fix it.  
  


Jaehyun groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. He didn’t want to admit himself defeated yet, but he had taken a few more punches than expected. Before he could decide on his next move, the door to Juyeon’s room opened again. The younger walked out, now wearing a dark jacket. He’d pocketed his phone and headed straight for the door, kneeling down to start tying his shoes on. Jaehyun jumped to his feet in seconds, walking up to him with his hands on his hips.

“Where are you going?” he asked urgently.

“None of your business”, Juyeon mumbled.

“Juyeon-”

“I’m going for a walk”, he replied as he stood up. Juyeon was slightly taller than Jaehyun, but their eyes were almost at equal height. The look in Juyeon’s eyes was almost challenging, and Jaehyun had to hold himself back to not pry further. He still had a few more hours before the beach hang out was planned, maybe he could talk some sense into Juyeon after the younger had taken his walk and, hopefully, cleared his mind.

Jaehyun walked back to the couch after Juyeon had left the apartment, dropping himself onto the couch once again with an exasperated groan. He only wanted the best for his best friend, couldn’t Juyeon see that? He sighed in frustration.

About twenty minutes later, Jaehyun’s phone buzzed again. He hastily took a look at it, hoping that it would be some good news coming from Juyeon. What he read instead made him choke on his breath.

**sunwoo** : HYUNG  
 **sunwoo** : WHY IS JUYEON HERE???

**sunwoo** : he’s??? dragging eric to the backstore???

Jaehyun’s eyes widened as the words processed through his mind. Barely half an hour ago, his best friend was still sulking in their apartment, and now he’d just gone and walked all the way into where Eric was currently working. Jaehyun looked back down at his phone, watching anxiously as Sunwoo was still typing.

**sunwoo** : omg hak just walked in, he said they kicked him out of the break room

**sunwoo** : i’d ask him to spy on them but he just went to cover for eric

**sunwoo** : wait, they’re coming back already? what is this

**sunwoo** : i can assure you they did not make out (boohoo)

**sunwoo** : but i don’t think they fought either

**sunwoo** : omg wait eric looks so happy

**sunwoo** : !!!

**sunwoo** : younghoon’s back, ttyl

The messages only left Jaehyun in an even more confused state. Sometimes, he didn’t get Juyeon at all.

Sunwoo eyed Eric and Juyeon suspiciously as they came out of the break room. Eric’s steps were light, and both boys had some discreet smiles on. Well, Eric’s wasn’t so discreet, if you asked Sunwoo. He was almost radiating. If Sunwoo didn’t know his friends well, he’d assume that one of them had finally confessed officially... but that was probably not the case. Sunwoo followed Juyeon with his eyes, the older briefly greeting Haknyeon as he left the restaurant. Eric slid back into the dining room and immediately got to work, looking as energetic as ever.

The boys kept working for a while. Haknyeon eventually came back from his lunch break, and the staff was complete. Younghoon was currently in charge of running the restaurant, with Sunwoo and Chanhee in the kitchen and Eric and Haknyeon in the dining room.

Sunwoo and Eric’s shifts ended at the same time, and Sunwoo stopped Eric in the break room before the younger could leave.

“Why was Juyeon hyung here?” he asked, eyeing the younger suspiciously.

“He’s coming to the beach tonight!” Eric replied excitedly.

“What?” Sunwoo blurted out, shocked.

Eric nodded, joining his hands over his heart. “He said he wanted to check if it was okay with me first. So he’ll be there!”

“He came all the way here just for that?”

Eric blushed, but his smile wasn’t toning down.

Sunwoo almost let out a sigh in relief. As soon as Eric left the room, he made sure to text Jaehyun the news. Second step of the plan: check.

The sun had just finished setting, and Eric was still running around his house, going back and forth from his bedroom to the bathroom to try to be ready on time. Jacob was meant to pick him up in just under five minutes, but Eric had only just come out of a very much needed shower after his work shift. His hair still dripping wet, he furiously ran a towel over it while staring at his wardrobe. Eric owned a lot of clothes, but in this instant, it felt like he had none. More like, he had nothing new to wear, nothing impressive enough.

He absolutely didn’t need to pick an outstanding outfit, Eric knew that. It was just a hang out with a couple of friends, friends that he saw almost every day, or at least every week. But a small part of him reminded him that no, it wasn’t just a hang out, because Juyeon would be there, and they hadn’t talked in over a week. Eric was planning on apologizing to the older for making him uncomfortable. Not talking to Juyeon was worse than having to keep his feelings for him hidden. In that moment, all that Eric wanted was to even just be on speaking terms with Juyeon again.

Eric was having a debate with himself, trying to reason a certain part of his conscience that was telling him to dress way better than appropriate for the hang out. He ended up going for a simple black t-shirt, a pair of grey joggers and his current favourite jacket. Not exactly the dazzling look he’d had in mind at first, but he managed to convince himself that it really just was him and his friends, and they all had already seen him in much worse.

Just as Eric started feeling his hair drying up, his phone buzzed. He scurried over to his bed, grabbing the device with one hand. It was a text message from Jacob.

**jacob** : hey i’m sorry buddy, turns out that chanhee showed up at my apartment with changmin, so i kind of had to give him your spot in my car

**jacob** : i heard that juyeon wanted to come too though

**jacob** : i know you two have been kind of ignoring each other for like a week or so, but the beach is only a half an hour-ish drive from Seoul

**jacob** : good news is i asked him already and he said he was fine with driving you! sorry again bub, i’ll see you tonight

**jacob** : oh btw i told him at what time i was supposed to pick you up, so he should be there soon

Eric’s heart sank in his chest as he read Jacob’s messages. He forced himself to give a nonchalant reply back, but he was incredibly worried. This was totally not what he’d planned. He thought he would have gotten the entire drive to speak to Jacob, Sunwoo, Haknyeon and Changmin about his concerns, he knew that his friends usually gave him fantastic advice and that they would have helped him this time around too. Slowly, he sat down on his bed, still staring at his phone and at Jacob’s messages. What was he going to do now? He’d have to talk to Juyeon in the car. Groaning in frustration, he selected Sunwoo’s contact on his phone and desperately started typing.

**eric** : sunwoo!!!

**eric** : i can’t believe this *crying emojis*

**eric** : quick i need help!!!

**sunwoo** : what’s up

**eric** : jacob ditched me! for chanhee! so chanhee will be riding with you guys instead of ME

**eric** : and guess who’s gonna drive me!!

**sunwoo** : um i really have no idea who that could be

**eric** : it’s juyeon hyung!! save me woo *crying emojis*

As he typed, Eric couldn’t help the growing panic he felt. The more he thought about it, the more he started to think that backing out of the hang out was his best solution.

**sunwoo** : sucks to be you

**sunwoo** : don’t embarrass yourself in front of him

**eric** : suddenly i feel sick

**eric** : i’m gonna stay home

**sunwoo** : ERIC SOHN

**sunwoo** : DON’T YOU DARE

**sunwoo** : fuck, you guys are so frustrating

Eric’s eyebrows furrowed at his best friend’s last message. However, he couldn’t think for too long as his phone beeped again, a push notification informing him of a text from Juyeon.

**juyeon** : um, hey, idk if jacob told you but i’m actually picking you up

**juyeon** : i just parked in front of your house

Eric almost let out a scream. He was not ready. Sneakily, he looked through his bedroom window’s drawn curtains to notice that, indeed, Juyeon’s car was stopped right in front of his house. He quickly went back to his chat with Sunwoo, sending him a bunch of empty threats and curse words, before grabbing his wallet from his study desk. He stopped for a few seconds in front of his closed bedroom door, taking a deep breath in.

“Eric!” his sister suddenly yelled. “Isn’t that your friend’s ugly car in front of our house?”

Eric slammed his door open. As he climbed down the stairs, he spotted his sister sitting on the living room couch. She gave him a questioning look, which Eric ignored in favour of gathering the courage he’d need to walk out there and sit next to Juyeon. He crouched down to tie up his black converse shoes in a hurry, well aware that Juyeon had already been waiting for him for several minutes.

“Tell mom and dad I’m hanging out with my friends”, he informed his older sister as he stood up. “Also, his car isn’t ugly!” he felt the need to shout out, halfway out of the house.

Eric’s heart took a faster pace as he jogged down the driveway to reach the old yellow car his friend owned. Despite some rusty parts, the car worked perfectly fine. As Eric took some large steps towards the vehicle, he noticed Juyeon waving to him, and he waved back with a nervous smile. Eric opened the passenger door and slid onto the seat. The atmosphere was immediately awkward, making Eric want to sink into his seat and disappear into oblivion.

“Hey”, Juyeon greeted.

Eric turned towards his friend. The boy had his usual smile on. If he was uncomfortable, he was doing a very good job at hiding it. Eric tentatively smiled back, and Juyeon’s eyes disappeared into crescent moons. Eric’s will to ignore his feelings instantly vanished.

“Thank you for driving me”, he said as he tried to make himself comfortable in his seat. He buckled his seatbelt and leaned back against the backrest.

“Jacob called me quite last-minute, I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all”, Eric replied. “Your car’s sound system is better than his.”

Eric could feel the pride emanating from Juyeon at his words. Juyeon was definitely in love with his car, Eric thought with a laugh.

“What?” Juyeon asked, intrigued as to why the younger had suddenly laughed out loud.

“What what?” Eric played dumb, grinning at his friend.

Juyeon chose to simply give up, knowing that there was no playing this game with Eric. He had tried, once, to get Eric to reveal his inner thoughts, and the younger had led him around by the nose for about an hour, before Juyeon had finally given up. He could never compete with Eric’s energy and his devotion at playing pranks.

“Can I put my music on?” Eric asked, fumbling around to find the end of the aux cord. He already knew Juyeon would say yes; they liked the same music anyway.

“Can we talk, first?”

Eric stopped all movements. He turned to look at Juyeon, who’s face was suddenly serious. The younger nervously bit at his lip and nodded. They both stared at each other in silence, unsure as to speak first or to give the other the chance to.

“I’m sorry”, they both spluttered at the same time.

Juyeon breathed out with a shy smile, and Eric placed a hand over his mouth to hide a laugh. He regained his composure, trying to recollect the entire speech he had prepared and gone over so many times in his head, but his heart was beating so loud that it was blocking out his thoughts.

“I’m sorry for avoiding you”, Eric finally spoke before Juyeon. “I made you uncomfortable last week, and I didn’t want you to be awkward around me. It’s stupid, but I thought it would be better to ignore you.”

“I-I wasn’t uncomfortable”, Juyeon stuttered. “I thought I should give you some space because I thought you wouldn’t want to talk to me. And well, when you really didn’t, I just went along with it.”

“I thought you hated me until this afternoon”, Eric admitted.

“I would never. I missed you.”

Eric smiled at that. “I missed you too.”

The case was still left unresolved, but at least now they weren’t ignoring each other, and now Eric knew that Juyeon didn’t hate him for what had happened. He was satisfied with that.

“Should we leave now? I don’t want us to be late there.” Juyeon said.

“Yeah!” Eric agreed, suddenly excited at the idea of seeing everyone at the beach. “Do you know how to get there?”

Juyeon unparked the car and got ready to drive off. He checked his mirrors before finally starting to drive away from the front of Eric’s house.

“Jacob hyung gave me the directions”, he informed Eric. “I’ve been near that beach already, so I shouldn’t have any problems finding it.”

The pair spent the entire ride listening to the music Eric selected, singing along to their favourite parts. They didn’t exchange many words, mainly because they both still felt a little uneasy around each other, as if they didn’t know where they stood in their friendship anymore. Eric was only glad to know that Juyeon didn’t hate him. And a small part of him hoped that, if he ignored the fact that Juyeon knew he had a crush on him, maybe things would go back to normal.

When they neared the beach, Juyeon started searching for a parking space and Eric took his phone to text their friends for a meeting place. It took a few minutes, but Changmin finally replied with a picture of their location, Chanhee and Haknyeon childishly jumping into the frame at a few meters distance. Eric’s eyes scanned the picture. It was dark, but the street lights made the place recognizable. As Eric looked out of the car’s window, however, he couldn’t recognize the path lined with trees where their friends seemed to be in their picture.

Juyeon finally stopped the car on the border of the road, in an empty parking spot. Eric looked outside once more, and he realized he could see the beach stretching in front of him, sand meeting the concrete sidewalk next to which Juyeon had parked the car. There were no trees in sight, no matter in which direction Eric looked. He frowned, dialling Changmin’s number.

“Eric-ah!” Changmin picked up, shouting excitedly. “Are you guys here yet?”

“We just parked, but I can’t see where you guys would be.” Eric replied, answering Juyeon’s questioning look with a shrug.

“Send us a picture of where you are, maybe we’ll be able to find you instead!”

Juyeon, who had overheard Haknyeon’s loud shout, quickly obliged. He sent them a picture of the road in front of him, making sure to take in the stores in front of them.

“Juyeon hyung just sent a pic”, Eric informed their friends.

A few seconds passed, before a reply came. “Oh, I see.” It was Sunwoo, and Eric could hear in his voice that he was trying not to laugh.

“What?” Eric pressed, annoyed at the silence that followed Sunwoo’s reply.

“You’re at Daecheon Beach?” Sunwoo asked, and Eric instantly figured out what was going on. It wasn’t a question at all. His best friend had done this on purpose, and was finding the situation more than hilarious.

“Well, yeah, that’s the address Jacob hyung sent me” Juyeon replied instead, confused. Eric closed his eyes and gritted his teeth as he opted to just listen to the discussion unfold.

“We’re at Haeundae” Changmin informed them, and Eric could clearly hear the quiet laugh in his voice.

“Haeundae? The one that’s barely 15 minutes from our apartment?” Juyeon asked. “Why are you guys over there?”

“There must have been a misunderstanding”, Haknyeon said, not looking to hide his laughter at all.

“Well, while you’re over at Daecheon all alone, enjoy your date! Eric, go get it tiger!” Sunwoo shouted, and the call ended abruptly.

Eric couldn’t believe that their friends had set them up like that, and that they both had let it happen without ever suspecting anything. He couldn’t find it himself to open his eyes, but he could feel Juyeon’s eyes on him. He took a few deep breaths, clutching at his phone with his right hand. What now?

From the driver’s seat, Juyeon coughed awkwardly. “Well.”

Eric chuckled in disbelief. He opened his eyes, but kept his gaze up front, on the car parked in front of them. He was at loss for words.

“It’s a date, then?”

Eric sat up in shock. He turned to Juyeon, eyes wide and his heart racing. The older boy’s cheeks were tinted pink as he smiled shyly. Eric blinked once. And twice.

“I’m sorry, what?”, Eric asked, still in shock.

Juyeon looked away, bringing his gaze to the road in front of him as he kept smiling to himself. “I mean, I hope I’m not reading this whole thing wrong... I don’t know why it took that uniform episode for me to realize that you might... like me? If that’s really what it is, of course.”

For the second time of the day, Eric wanted to become one with the seat’s backrest and disappear forever. Juyeon made a small pause, and Eric could see his cheeks turning even redder under the light of the lamppost next to the car.

“I don’t know why it took me so long to realize this but... I like you, Youngjae. I like you so much.”

Unlike Juyeon’s crush that had seeped in sneakily, only to crash down on him all at once, Eric’s crush had slowly built up over the years, always growing stronger and stronger at the back of his mind. He had resisted it, battled with it, only to finally come to terms with it and try his best to suppress it. And now Juyeon was confessing?

Eric felt his entire body burning, and his heart threatened to burst out of his chest. After such a long time of convincing himself that Juyeon would never see him as anything more than a little brother, there Juyeon was, confessing to him as if he, too, had had a crush on Eric for the longest time. Eric’s mouth ran dry at the thought, and he almost forgot he had to give Juyeon some sort of a reply.

“Hyung, I...” Eric started, struggling to find the correct words to speak his mind. “I thought there was no way you’d ever like me back, and for the longest time I tried so hard so that you would never find out, but then you did, with the whole uniforms thing, and I thought we would never even be friends anymore because you would hate me”, Eric rambled nervously, not even daring to look up at Juyeon anymore.

“I’m sorry”, Juyeon frowned. How long had Eric been hurting with his feelings? Why had Juyeon been so oblivious to it, when he always prided himself in being able to read Eric like an open book?

“Don’t be sorry”, Eric chuckled. “You didn’t know.”

Eric finally dared to shoot Juyeon a glance. The older had guilt written all over his face.

“It’s not your fault, hyung. It’s just, I’m such a great actor”, Eric grinned, and Juyeon let out a quiet laugh.

Juyeon slightly turned towards Eric, and the both of them finally made eye contact. After knowing Juyeon liked him back, Eric only felt the attention even more overwhelming than usual. The small crinkle of the older’s eyes made Juyeon look unnecessarily more handsome than he already was, and made Eric’s heart stop beating for a few seconds.

“You’re cute”, Juyeon smiled shyly.

Eric just knew his face was full-on red at this point. He had made so many scenarios in his mind of Juyeon confessing, of Juyeon calling him cute, but he never would have thought that it would really happen, and no amount of daydreaming about it could have ever prepared him for the blissful warmth that was overtaking his whole body.

“While we’re here, why don’t we actually go to that beach we came to see?” Juyeon suddenly asked, breaking the silence that Eric had, once again, let settle in between them.

Eric nodded fervently, glad for the occasion to get out of the suffocating small bubble that Juyeon’s car had become. He pocketed his phone and stepped out of the vehicle. He could already feel the cold ocean wind messing up his hair, and he stuffed both his hands in the pockets of his jacket to prevent them from getting cold.

Juyeon walked around the car and stopped on the sidewalk next to Eric. He held out his hand, giving Eric an inviting look, and Eric blushed furiously as he realized what the older was doing. Eric’s smaller hand slipped into Juyeon’s bigger one, and they started walking in the sand, side by side.

Words started to flow easily between them as they walked along the beach. It was always so easy to talk to Juyeon. No matter how different they were, they understood each other perfectly. Eric felt comfortable with Juyeon, even though his heart was beating louder than ever. His palm was getting sweaty in Juyeon’s hold, but if the older found it disgusting, he showed no sign of it.

“I thought about killing our friends at first”, Juyeon suddenly admitted, “but now I’m rather thankful. I don’t think I would have had the courage to ask you out.”

Eric’s face flushed. He would never have been able to do it either. But he still felt like beating Sunwoo up for going behind his back.

“Can we please have our first official date when I’m not dressed like a college student on their finals?” Eric pouted.

Juyeon chuckled softly. “If that’s what you want, then I’m sure we can make it happen.”

Juyeon squeezed the younger boy’s hand, a fond smile on his face. He had never seen Eric being this nervous, this _shy_ and self-conscious, and it was fascinating to him.

Eric pulled lightly at Juyeon’s hand, making the both of them come to a stop. They had been walking for a few minutes along the beach, and considering how late it was, there was no one else around. They could faintly hear the sound of cars driving by the beach, a few meters away, but that was the only other human presence around them. The ocean wind was making both of their hair a mess, but Eric thought Juyeon looked good in any hairstyle. Like this, in the dark, it was only the two of them, and all their unspoken feelings hanging in the air.

There was no need for words to let Eric know that Juyeon was on the same wavelength as he was. He felt the older wrap his arms around him, pulling him into a hug like they’d shared so many times in the past. This time, however, the warm embrace around him felt different. It felt way more intimate, and Eric allowed himself to press his body closer against Juyeon’s. It was like magic, the way one hug from Juyeon would instantly manage to calm down his beating heart, bringing it back to a normal pace. Eric snaked his own arms around the taller boy, and stared at his beautiful face, barely lit up by the moonlight.

Juyeon searched for Eric’s eyes, making their gazes meet for a lot longer than what would have been comfortable for friends to do, but this wasn’t new to them. They had always been quite close, after all, and they both only then realized they might have acted closer than just friends, all along. Although, there were still barriers that they hadn’t crossed, of course, with them claiming to be _just friends_.

And this, the hugs, the close proximity they had always shared, Juyeon knew he never wanted to lose it. With the smaller boy’s body against his, everything felt right, familiar and comforting. Juyeon felt like the biggest idiot for never thinking that this desire to have Eric in his arms might have been more than just friendly affection. After all, he never hugged Jaehyun or Younghoon the way he held Eric. It wasn’t Sangyeon or Changmin’s smile he looked for whenever he was feeling down, it wasn’t Haknyeon or Sunwoo he wanted to protect and keep happy all the time.

Now, he knew that it wasn’t just him imagining things whenever Eric initiated any sort of contact between them, and when he wondered if he was really the only friend of his that Eric let baby him as much as Juyeon did. Now he knew he was s _pecial_ to Eric, and when he glanced at the younger’s adorable features, he realized Eric was special to him, too.

Eric found his gaze trailing down Juyeon’s face, all the way to his lips, the soft and plump lips he always avoided looking at in fear he would be too drawn to them. And even now, with the confirmation that Juyeon liked him back, he was still hesitant to do the one thing he had been dreaming of doing for so long. Inevitably, if they kissed, it would change everything between them, it would be the final step that would tip their relationship over the line between the safe space of friendship and the unexplored territory of something _more_ , even though they had already been blurring that line without even knowing.

And Eric was scared, terribly scared, of making a wrong move and of losing Juyeon. He had been building his defense mechanisms for so long, he had spent so long holding himself back from loving Juyeon with his whole heart, that it was hard to let go, it was hard to believe he _could_ love Juyeon and that Juyeon wouldn’t push him away.

The sound of the waves was calming, the smell of salted water tickling at Eric’s nose just enough to keep him aware of his surroundings and keep him from completely losing himself staring at Juyeon. Under his jacket, his skin burned where Juyeon’s arms were wrapped tightly, and his fingertips were tingling where he was touching Juyeon’s body. Eric tipped his head up, finding Juyeon’s eyes again. Juyeon looked as nervous as he was, but wasn’t moving away from Eric.

“Hyung”, Eric called in a breathy, hesitant voice. “Can I kiss you?”

A look of surprise flashed in Juyeon’s eyes, but it went away as quick as it came. Juyeon bit his lip, then immediately letting go as he realized what he was doing. He felt warm, and his heart jumped happily at the thought of Eric wanting to kiss him. In the moonlight, with the wind running through his hair, Eric looked cuter than ever. Juyeon unconsciously tightened his grip around the younger, before he remembered to nod.

“Please”, he whispered to the younger.

Eric glanced back at the older’s lips, and they leaned in at the same time, Juyeon slightly tilting his head down to meet Eric. His arms shifted to come hold at the younger’s waist, pulling him closer, and slowly connecting their lips.

Their kiss was careful, experimental even, like they were testing their limits, slowly pushing away the boundaries that their friendship had always put on them. This proximity was a completely new level to them, and Eric could feel the last restraints in him crumble down as he felt his love for Juyeon blooming in his chest. Eric could melt at Juyeon’s taste on his tongue, and at the way the older was gripping at his hips over his thin jacket, and he never wanted to have to hold himself back from getting a Juyeon kiss anymore.

When they pulled away, Eric dived his head right into Juyeon’s chest, into the broad embrace that had always been his favourite hiding place. Now, the gesture held a different meaning, as he could hear the sound of Juyeon’s heart beating. _For him_.

This was far beyond what Eric had expected his first kiss with Juyeon to feel like. Surrounded by the darkness, his sensations were enhanced, making him feel his connection with Juyeon in an overwhelmingly strong way. Not only their hold onto each other, but their panting breaths, their laughs in amazement and the silent chemistry they shared, he was all too aware of them, and it made him dizzy with the thought of _Juyeon, Juyeon, Juyeon_ , and when the older brought a hand to tangle gently into Eric’s hair, Eric was already flying away to a different world.

Juyeon broke the moment by softly pulling at Eric’s arms, motioning for them to sit in the sand. They lost track of time, staring into the sea, and back at each other, stealing hesitant kisses, as if they were still afraid to hurt the other. Eric thought he could really get used to this, this new level of affection coming from Juyeon.

It wasn’t until both their phones started ringing and beeping like crazy, probably a few hours later, that they realized they should probably head back. The drive to Seoul was long, and Juyeon was already feeling a bit tired, but he knew that sitting in his car with Eric for such a long time would drive him insane, so close to the younger yet unable to do anything about it, which was why he didn’t want to leave the beach.

Their phones were still being spammed by their friends that they ignored as they walked back towards Juyeon’s car, hand in hand, stealing giggly kisses at each other along the way while they promised to take their time to make their new relationship as perfect as they could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hum... hi?   
> I hope you liked this chapter! Honestly, I worked on this one for so long that I probably know it by heart, and I have no idea if it is even good anymore, or if there's just so much rambling that it's a bit too much. Anyway! Please don't worry, I'm not turning this into a chat fic even though there is a lot of it in this chapter.
> 
> See you next time!


	11. Q cam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So guys, today I take you into a different part of my life, my favourite part-time job to date, Flower Snack House! Thanks to my friends who made voluntary (or not) appearances in this vlog, and as always, a huge thank you to my wonderful boyfriend for editing in the subtitles! Oh, and thank you to Sangyeon hyung for allowing me to vlog in his restaurant! (seriously, best boss ever, y'all should be jealous) 
> 
> Come visit us! - Flower Snack House in Seoul
> 
> Follow me on my socials! - instagram, twitter  
> Follow my friends:  
> Kevin  
> Sangyeon  
> Jacob  
> Chanhee  
>  ~~Juyeon~~  
>  ~~Eric~~  
>  Hyunjoon  
> Younghoon
> 
> Enjoy the vlog!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you can guess from the chapter summary, this chapter is a bit of a different format! This was a lot of fun to write, as well as a challenge for me.  
> Updates have slowed down a bit because school has started for me, but I'll still be uploading at least once a week.
> 
> Enjoy the vlog!

“Good morning Qties!” Changmin exclaimed, cutely waving at the camera he was holding with one hand.

He positioned the device onto a kitchen counter, facing it as he started making himself breakfast. He was wearing a plain white t-shirt, and grey sweatpants – his typical sleepwear. His reddish hair was slightly messy, and his face still puffy from his long night of sleep.

A quick time-lapse showed him running around the kitchen, cooking up breakfast. The footage came back to a normal pace as voices were heard in the background. It was in English, and Changmin exchanged an annoyed eyeroll and a pout with his viewers, through his camera.

“ _I promised Sunwoo I’d drive him to my studio today”_ , Jacob was saying. _“We have this new track we’re working on, you have to come give it a listen!”_

The voices were coming closer. Changmin ignored them, placing food into three plates conveniently displayed in front of the camera. He grabbed the recording device, giving a close shot of the food he’d just prepared.

_“Maybe I’ll drop by after work”_ , Kevin replied. _“I’ll see with Changmin._ ”

The camera found its place back onto the counter. Changmin had an eyebrow raised. “Guys, they’re talking about me”, he whispered.

Suddenly, Kevin came into frame, immediately coming to hug Changmin from the back. His arms wrapped around the dancer’s slender body, and his face nuzzled against the younger’s shoulder, only the top of his fluffy black hair showing to the camera.

“Kev’, I’m vlogging today” Changmin informed his boyfriend, who only hugged tighter.

“ _Wha’ sup vlog_ ” Kevin mumbled, is face still hidden against Changmin.

Changmin lightly hit Kevin’s shoulder, at which the older yelped and took a step back. “Someone has to greet your international fans too”, he whined, holding his pained arm with his hand.

Changmin chuckled and turned to the camera, picking it up with one hand and taking one plate with the other. “Which is why I pay him every week to put subtitles on my videos for you guys”, he explained as he walked to the dining room.

“I’ve never received a single won from you”, Kevin complained from out of frame.

Changmin placed his plate onto the table and pulled himself a chair. Kevin suddenly appeared on the vlogger’s other side, sitting down in another chair. Changmin finally sat down too, turning to him with a smirk.

“With _you_ I have a better payment method” he teased, making a kissy face at his boyfriend.

Kevin hit him on the arm, but leaned forwards immediately after, and gave Changmin a quick peck on the lips.

The screen instantly turned to black. “Protecting the eyes of the viewers” was written in the middle of the screen, while Jacob’s voice could be heard in the background. “Changmin-ah, are you sure you want to put that in your vlog?”

The footage cut to Changmin holding the camera again, this time dressed properly and his hair being done. The hand he wasn’t using to hold the camera had his car keys and his wallet. He was standing in the living room of Kevin and Jacob’s apartment. He wasn’t officially living there, but since he slept over there more than at his own place, most of his vlogs took place in the Canadians’ apartment. His viewers had probably never seen his actual apartment, except maybe for a few instagram stories posted over time.

“I decided that for today’s vlog, I am going to bring you guys along to my work place!” Changmin announced, dropping himself on the couch. “Yesterday I realized that I film most of my stuff at my dance studio, and even though you guys seem to like those behind the scenes vlogs, I think I never properly showed you where I work. I told you it’s Sangyeon hyung’s restaurant, right? Anyway, that’s what we’re doing today. Now I’m just waiting for Kev’ to get ready, because we have the same shift today, so I’ll be driving him too.”

Changmin suddenly glanced out of frame.

“Ah, there he is!” Changmin smiled. “Alright, we don’t want to be late, so we’ll see you there!”

He made a cute face, before coming to cover the camera with his hand. 

The next scene showed Changmin and Kevin sitting in a parked car, on the side of what looked like a busy road.

“We’re here early”, Changmin started explaining to the camera, “so I thought we should have a chat before I let you guys in to Flower Snack.” He turned towards Kevin, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Sangyeon hyung doesn’t actually know I’m going to be filming today.”

Kevin gasped in shock, turning towards his boyfriend. “What do you mean he doesn’t know?”

Changmin shrugged innocently. “Well, I didn’t tell him. He would give me permission anyway, right?”

“I don’t know Min, maybe you should ask him first before you go in there with your camera.”

Changmin paused, looking as if he was thinking, and stayed still for a few seconds while Kevin was visibly waiting for him to react. He then grabbed his phone and tapped on it. He then held the device in front of him, in between him and Kevin.

“Hello?” Sangyeon’s voice came through the phone.

“Hi hyung!” Changmin greeted, voice slightly more high-pitched than his normal tone.

“Uh, why do I feel like you have something to ask?” Sangyeon’s reply was muffled by the speaker of Changmin’s phone. “You’re still coming in today, right?”

“You know me so well, hyung”, Changmin smiled at his phone. “Say hi to Qties!”

Kevin was laughing silently at the side. Sangyeon stuttered a bit in surprise. “H-hello? It’s Sangyeon!”

Changmin giggled happily. He readjusted his position on his seat. “I wanted to ask if I could bring Qties in to work with me today.”

Changmin bit his lips as he waited for an answer.

“... you mean your camera, right?” Sangyeon asked.

“Who knows, I could also hold a meet and greet at Flower Snack”, Changmin winked at the camera, “but yeah, just the vlog for today.”

“Uh, sure. Just make sure you have everyone’s permission to be filmed, I guess that’s my only condition.”

Changmin squealed. “Thank you so much hyung!”

He hung up the call and leaned towards the camera. “Now that we have official permission from our big boss, let’s get to work!”

The camera cut again, then showing Changmin sitting down on a chair inside of the break room. Kevin was in the back of the shot, standing up and arranging a bandana onto his head.

“Since it’s lunch time, there were quite a few people in the dining room”, Changmin started explaining. “I couldn’t film a restaurant tour yet, but don’t worry, I’ll get to that later! For now, I have to actually start working. Since I’m in the kitchen, I’ll be able to bring you guys with me. You remember Younghoon hyung, right? He should be here today. Oh, and also Juyeon-ie, I’m sure you’ll recognize him from all the dance covers I did with him! He’s a bit shy, so he’s not in my vlogs much usually, but I’ll try to make him talk today. Let’s go!”

Changmin filmed in selfie mode as he walked from the break room to the kitchen. He balanced his camera on a shelf to allow himself to wash his hands. He disappeared off frame for a few seconds, before returning with a black apron that he tied onto himself, then showing it off to the camera. “Now, we’re all ready!”

He walked over to the cooking area he sometimes shared with Sunwoo. Changmin put the camera down onto a shelf, squeezing it between pans and cleaned plates. The shot showed an ensemble view of the kitchen behind Changmin. On the opposite side of the room, and consequently on the left side of the shot, was the bar section, where Younghoon was currently sitting. To Changmin’s viewers, his side-profile was probably unrecognizable, so Changmin made sure to include a small description on screen to let everyone know who the boy at the back was. The shot wasn’t wide enough to show the area where Kevin and Juyeon were working, but Changmin had included some text on screen to explain that as well.

A quick time-lapse showed that Changmin didn’t stay in place much, as he had to run all around the kitchen to deliver plates and retrieve ingredients and utensils. When the footage came back to a normal pace, it was because Changmin was coming to a stop in front of the camera. He wiped his hands over his apron before grabbing his recording device. He gave a tired smile and walked into a more well-lit area of the kitchen. He suddenly held the camera from a low angle, as if he was hiding it, at the height of his chest.

“Sorry for the weird angle, I have to hide you guys from the customers” he explained with a sheepish smile, before he walked right between Chanhee and Kevin. Chanhee was seen glancing briefly at the camera, then proceeding to ignore his friend completely.

“Chanhee just came into work, so I thought I’d go say hi. He doesn’t like it when I bother him at work, but he hasn’t been in my vlogs in such a long time that I fear most of you guys would have forgotten about him. Hi Chanhee!”

The older grabbed an order slip from the counter in front of him, then clicked his pen to write something on the piece of paper. He never gave a reaction to Changmin’s presence, but Changmin wasn’t fazed.

“As you’d expect from him”, the vlogger explained, “he’s working so hard! Which might seem like his excuse to ignore me, but don’t worry guys, he’s always like that, he’s just really focused.”

“No, I _am_ ignoring you” Chanhee replied immediately, without giving a look at Changmin or his camera.

Changmin’s grin turned into a wider one. He reached a hand up to ruffle Chanhee’s hair, and the other groaned in annoyance, swatting the younger’s hand away.

“Well, since he’s here now, that means I can go on break!” Changmin exclaimed excitedly.

The dancer then turned to Kevin, who looked at him with a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

“I thought we’d go on break at the same time”, he mumbled, purposely low so that the camera wouldn’t pick up on the sound. But Changmin had included a caption on the screen typing out Kevin’s words for his viewers.

“I’m sorry baby”, Changmin pouted, suddenly a guilty look on his face, all of his previous excitement gone. “Juyeon’s break should be over soon though, so if he comes to take your place, maybe we’ll have a bit of time together?”

Kevin nodded, cheeks tinted pink, and looked back at his cooking, as if he was too embarrassed to look at Changmin. Changmin, well-aware the customers could see him if ever they looked in the direction of the kitchen, finally gave Kevin’s arms a light squeeze. He then left the two cooks to head back over to his own cooking area. He turned the camera to face away from him in order to properly show the place.

“I just showed you my face all afternoon, but I have to introduce you to my area! It’s so tidy, right? You guys better be proud of me. And look”, he brought the camera closer to a bowl that was the only thing out of place in the entire frame, “this is the lunch I made myself. Looks good, uh?”

He grabbed the bowl with his free hand, giving the viewers a closer shot of the noodles.

“Sangyeon hyung doesn’t mind if we cook our own food during our breaks. I wonder how he hasn’t gone bankrupt yet, because us boys, we eat a lot. Sangyeon hyung is the best boss!”

He laughed, and then proceeded to walk towards the break room, still filming his bowl he was holding in front of him, chopsticks balanced on top of it. He abruptly came to a stop, the camera showing the opened door of the break room. Changmin then turned the camera around to show himself, evil smile on.

“Let’s give Juyeon-ie a little scare” he grinned, then turning the camera back around once more.

His steps were slow, until he barged into the room, camera first, with a shout– two shouts were heard back, and then Changmin managed to catch his victim(s)’s reaction. The camera was suddenly pointing at the table in the corner of the room, and at the two boys sat on the complete opposite sides of the booth seat, now clutching at their chests, shocked expressions on their faces. Changmin burst in laughter, and walked closer to put his food onto the table. He pulled himself a chair, all while filming Juyeon and Eric, who sat across the table with flustered looks on their faces.

“Ah hyung!” Eric whined when he finally noticed the camera, then hiding his face in his hands.

“What, did I interrupt something here?” Changmin’s voice, out of frame, asked innocently.

“You’re not leaving this in”, Juyeon replied instead, staring at Changmin behind the camera.

“Oh, I am”, Changmin giggled.

“No, you’re not! Hyung!” Eric stood up angrily, and the camera cut.

Changmin was sitting in between Eric and Juyeon, on the same booth seat he’d caught them making out on with his camera. The three of them had calmed down, and had clearly had a talk in between the two pieces of footage.

“If you haven’t seen Juyeon’s disgustingly sweet posts he’s been making on instagram recently, let me break the news to you; our Juyeon-ie’s gone and got himself a boyfriend!”

Changmin impulsively started singing a very improvised award-show worthy background music, while he turned the camera to shoot closely at Eric’s face. The younger flushed in embarrassment. “This is not how you said you were gonna do this!” the younger protested.

Changmin ignored his protests, letting his congratulatory song die down and went back to shooting the three of them. “Since most of you guys know Juyeon already, I just thought I should keep you informed on his love life. Sorry everyone, he’s now a taken man!”

Juyeon had a shy smile on as he glanced not so subtly at Eric. The younger was still giving Changmin an annoyed glare for the very intrusive introduction he had just done.

“I know I keep reminding you guys to follow Juyeon on his socials, but now I’m suggesting you to unfollow him”, Changmin spoke. “Eric is all he posts about. I’m pretty sure he’s had some of these posts in his drafts for years, and now that he can finally post them, he’s releasing them all at the same time. I won’t be disappointed if you unfollow him; I did so myself, just yesterday.”

Juyeon slapped at his arm, gasping with a laugh. “You did not!”

Changmin nodded. “I in fact did not, _but_ I was _strongly_ thinking about it. Consider this a threat.”

“Hey, but you did the same when you got with Kevin hyung!” It was Eric’s turn to hit Changmin.

The camera cut again.

“Anyway, Eric, you haven’t been on my channel much, right?” Changmin asked, now back to his calm and collected self.

“He has, he was in some of your dance studio vlogs when a few of the guys came over. And more than once”, Juyeon interrupted.

“Okay, we get it Juyeon, you’re whipped and only watch my vlogs when it involves Eric.” Changmin smirked at the raven-haired.

“I am not–”

New camera cut.

“Alright, now that Juyeon has gone back to work, let me have my solo interview with Eric!” Changmin announced, leaning back onto the backrest of the booth seat, copying Eric’s relaxed position.

The younger looked at the camera, surprised for a few seconds before composing himself. “Please introduce yourself”, Changmin instructed.

“Hi, I’m Eric”, he hesitantly looked at Changmin, who sighed dramatically and put his arm around Eric’s shoulders.

“His name is Eric, he’s my youngest friend and also the youngest here at the restaurant, which makes sense because it’s only my friends who work here. He lived in L.A for a couple of years, so if I film here more often, you might hear him speak English with Kev and Jacob hyung. He’s usually more talkative than this, really, sometimes we just can’t get him to shut up, but I think today he’s getting camera shy...”

Changmin cooed at Eric and pinched his cheek. The younger whined and shoved Changmin away. Changmin brought his camera to film himself only.

“Anyway, I’ve seen a lot of you guys asking about my part-time job, and wondering why I have one if I could just focus on my dancing and on my channel. Although these are great, being here doesn’t really feel like a job, since I always have my _lovely_ friends around. I mean you’ve seen Chanhee already, and now Juyeon and Eric. Who wouldn’t love to work with them? Plus, it’s to help out Sangyeon-hyung. If I get paid for it, it’s just a bonus.”

Changmin suddenly glanced out of frame, and then turned the camera around. Kevin was walking into the small room, wiping the sweat off of his forehead and placing his food onto the table. He sat down in front of Changmin, who zoomed in on his face.

“Kevin is on break now! Look how handsome he is– see why I like working here?”

Kevin gave him a warning look, and Changmin switched the shot to film Eric getting up, carrying his empty plate and glass. “Eric’s leaving us”, he commented in a sad voice. “Goodbye Eric!”

The younger looked back at him. “See you in twenty minutes”, he replied back, sticking his tongue out and walking out of the employees’ room.

“Qties!” Changmin exclaimed, holding his camera in front of him. He was sitting in the dining area of the restaurant, the sunset lighting shining on his face. In the back was Sangyeon’s infamous flower wall. “It’s time for me to finally show you around the place. We just closed, so now I can have my camera out. Look at this wall behind me!”

He made sure to properly showcase the wall. “Sangyeon-hyung made it. He’s really proud of it, so if you ever come here, drop him a compliment about it, will you?” He chuckled, then got up to start walking around. He turned his camera to film in front of him, giving a global look at the dining area, where Younghoon and Hyunjoon were respectively cleaning up the tables and mopping the floor.

Changmin walked up to Hyunjoon. “You have thirty seconds to promote yourself!” he exclaimed, shoving the camera close to the younger’s face.

Hyunjoon gave him an annoyed look. “Wasn’t I on your channel already?” he replied, crossing his arms over his chest with the mop’s handle resting under his armpit.

“Yes, but now I’m giving you the opportunity to advertise yourself! You know... don’t you have a company that deserves to gain more attention?”

Hyunjoon’s face lit up in realization. “Ah!” he gasped, then looking up pensively.

“Ten seconds!”

“Okay, okay! Hwall Creatives on instagram, follow me on there, I make customized clothing on commission, I’m saving up to move out of my parents’ house so that I can have a proper studio in my apartment, come and get something if you’re interested!” Hyunjoon wrapped up quickly.

“That was more than thirty seconds, but I’ll leave it in.”

Hyunjoon scoffed. “Wow, I can’t believe you’re being so generous”, he replied sarcastically.

Changmin laughed, then the camera moved away to focus on Younghoon.

“Hyung! Thirty seconds to introduce yourself, go!”

Younghoon shot him a tired look, then went back to wiping the table. Quickly, Changmin turned the camera back on himself. A barely noticeable frown shaped his forehead, but the vlogger’s bright smile was enough to disguise the appearances.

“If you remember Younghoon hyung from my previous vlogs, you’ll know he’s a man of a few words. I’ll get him one day though!” he exclaimed cheerfully.

The tour continued as Changmin filmed the doors leading to the kitchen, then entering the darker room. He filmed a scan of the kitchens, showing Chanhee working on his own.

“Changmin-ah”, Chanhee called, his eyes on the younger.

Changmin hummed in response and jogged up to him, filming a selfie shot of the both of them.

“What is it?” the vlogger asked.

“I know you finished your tasks in record time because you wanted to film”, Chanhee said, making Changmin grin proudly directly at the camera, “but Kevin is drowning in dirty dishes and I think he’d really need your help.”

“Anything for you, Chanhee” Changmin leaned in and pecked the older on the cheek, earning a disgusted look and a yell.

“You’re really subscribed to this loser?” Chanhee said, staring directly at the viewers with his disgusted face on.

Changmin ran away with a laugh, and went to find Kevin at the back of the store. He looked behind the camera, as if he was making sure the dark-haired boy was listening, before he started speaking again.

“So, I’m going to help my _amazing, handsome and hard-working boyfriend_ now! I’ll have to put you guys away because I can’t risk getting water on my camera” Changmin informed his audience. “I’ll be back in a bit!”

The sun had almost completely set when Changmin and Kevin appeared again, seated inside of Changmin’s parked car. Kevin had removed the bandana from his hair, and Changmin had put a jacket on. Despite the frame that showed the boys only from the torso and up, it wasn’t hard to guess that their hands were linked somewhere out of the shot.

“Alright, work day is over!” Changmin announced, looking at the camera. “I have to go drop Kevin off at Jacob hyung’s studio now, and I’m probably just going to mop around at his apartment until he comes back.”

Kevin silently laid his head onto Changmin’s shoulder, making the fake pout on Changmin’s face go away.

“I hope you enjoyed discovering Flower Snack House with me today, and I hope that if you pass by you can stop and say hi! Like you saw, it’s a friendly atmosphere, and any of you guys are welcome to come eat anytime. Thank you so much for watching, and I’ll see you next Wednesday for a new dance cover video!”

After Changmin’s outro linking a few of his other videos, a black screen finally greeted the viewers with the end of the vlog.

Juyeon quickly exited the youtube app before an ad would get the chance to start playing.

“What _was_ that?” he asked teasingly.

“Uh?”

Juyeon smirked down at Eric, whose head was tilted up towards him.

“You looked so... shy” he pointed out.

“What do you mean?” Eric was quick on the defensive. He was ready to deny everything without even knowing what e _xactly_ Juyeon was referring to, but they had just watched the exact same video, therefore he had a pretty good idea what Juyeon was talking about.

Juyeon sighed fondly, dropping his phone on the bed next to him so that his hand could be free to come play with Eric’s hair. The younger’s head was conveniently resting on his chest, and his body snuggled against his, and they had stayed like this for the entire duration of the video.

“You know...”, Juyeon spoke again. “When Changmin called you my boyfriend.”

Eric could feel his cheeks heat up in a split second. He curled up against Juyeon’s chest, hoping the hiding technique would make Juyeon not notice his level of embarrassment.

“Your face was so cute. You were so flustered, weren’t you? Because you liked that he called you that, right?”

Eric could barely register the confidence with which Juyeon spoke, his embarrassment was drowning out everything.

“Hm, you’re not saying anything”, Juyeon noted calmly. “Should I play it for you again, then?”

This time, Eric was quick to react, flipping himself up on his arms to reach across Juyeon’s chest for the older’s phone, stopping the older from grabbing it by wrapping a strong hold around his forearm. His face was already burning, but when he noticed their position, with him hovering over Juyeon’s body, and Juyeon’s cocky smile looking right at him, he almost melted in embarrassment. Cuddling with Juyeon in bed really wasn’t as new as what it should have been, with them only recently being official, but they had spent plenty of movie nights snuggled together already. Being close to Juyeon wasn’t nearly as nerve-wracking as it was calming, but _this,_ this was new, this was more suggestive than they’d ever done and Eric wasn’t sure his heart could handle it. He was about to go back down to lay safely on the mattress, but something about the way Juyeon was looking at him made all his will about that disappear instantly.

“Say it again”, Eric mumbled shyly, avoiding making eye contact with the older.

“Say what again?” Juyeon asked, feigning ignorance.

“You know what”, Eric pouted.

Juyeon smiled. “That I like you?”

With the one of his arms that wasn’t still being gripped to death by Eric’s panicked hand, he gently hugged the younger’s waist, pressing him down a little.

“Not _that_ ” Eric’s voice was almost whiney.

They both knew that they _both_ knew what Eric wanted Juyeon to say. It was the whole point of them watching Changmin’s vlog– Kevin calling them in the middle of editing subtitles onto said-video just to tease them about their reactions to Changmin catching them making out in Flower Snack’s break room, and of course to laugh at Eric’s sudden shyness in front of the camera. As soon as the video had been up, they had been sent links left and right by their friends, bullying them into watching the vlog. 

Juyeon smirked. “That you’re my boyfriend?” he finally asked.

The air was knocked out of Eric’s lungs all at once. He finally dared look up to properly meet Juyeon’s eyes, but unlike he’d expected, there wasn’t an ounce of teasing in them, it was only pure fondness and warmth. Eric was once again baffled at the way Juyeon was so in control of himself all the time, and how he knew exactly when not to go overboard in his banter with Eric.

“You like that? When someone calls you my boyfriend?” he asked again, and all playfulness had dropped to make way for affection.

“Yeah”, Eric’s reply was barely a whisper.

Now that Eric had looked into Juyeon’s eyes, he couldn’t look away, even had he wanted to. He was drawn to them like a drug, except they were nothing dangerous; they were simply the most captivating painting in the universe, the only painting that would ever tell him as many stories as Juyeon’s eyes were, the only painting that would ever tell him so transparently all of Juyeon’s feelings.

Eric hadn’t even noticed he had gotten closer, not until he felt his chest rest flush on Juyeon’s, and their foreheads brushing together. Or maybe it was Juyeon who had moved, or maybe it was him who had moved Eric closer.

“Can I?” Juyeon suddenly broke the silence, his eyes trailing down to Eric’s lips.

Eric rolled his eyes, acting as fake-annoyed as he could in the circumstances. “You need to stop asking”, he replied, his act dropping to reveal a grin, and he delicately pressed his lips against Juyeon’s.


	12. karaoke room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eric and Juyeon go on a date, and reminisce the very first steps of their friendship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good morning/evening!
> 
> We're already (already?) halfway through this fic! I would just like to take a second to thank everyone who has read up tp here, who has left kudos and comments. I may or may not be too scared to reply to comments, but it really makes me happy to see them, so really, thank you everyone who has taken the time to kudo/comment. It means a lot.
> 
> Now about this chapter... wow, the cheesiness in it! I guess it’s a mood I have sometimes when I write. If you ever thought the past chapters were cheesy, you’re not ready for the monster this is.
> 
> If you can, don't forget to vote for the boyz on music shows, and stream The Stealer!
> 
> Cue the story of how Juyeon started to be so whipped for Eric, even if just as a friend.

“I’m going to do it.”

Jaehyun whipped his head to his left, where Juyeon had spoken. The younger’s eyes were fixed on something in front of him, lit with determination. Jaehyun followed his gaze, only to see a familiar blonde-haired boy happily skipping his way into the restaurant. When Jaehyun looked at Juyeon again, his best friend was smiling to himself.

“Do what?” Jaehyun asked after a few seconds.

Juyeon continued to follow Eric with his eyes as he stopped briefly to greet Hyunjoon and Jacob, and then headed towards the kitchen.

“Ask him on a date”, Juyeon whispered, half to Jaehyun, and half to himself.

Jaehyun didn’t have time to react before the large doors to the kitchen opened, sending a new amount of light into the room. Not that Juyeon would have paid attention to his best friend anyway, since it was Eric who was pushing past the heavy doors. The younger spotted them, his face lighting up and he ran up to where Juyeon and Jaehyun were cooking, engulfing his boyfriend into a bone-crushing hug that forced Juyeon to take a step back to not fall backwards. Juyeon instinctively wrapped his arms around Eric’s body, and Eric’s head came to nestle against the taller’s chest.

As surprising as this hug-attack was, this was one thing that _hadn’t_ changed in the two boys’ relationship and that they were both glad for.

“Is everything okay?” Juyeon asked the younger, concern written all over his face.

Jaehyun could see Eric still smiling brightly as he replied. “I just missed you.”

Juyeon smiled fondly. He hugged Eric tighter and pressed a kiss on top of his hair. “We saw each other yesterday”, he chuckled, “but I missed you too.”

Jaehyun loudly cleared his throat, making the other two pull apart. “Eric”, Jaehyun scolded, “having a new boyfriend isn’t a valuable excuse to be late. You start in two minutes, and I better see your ass in the dining room by then.”

Eric rolled his eyes. “So scary, hyung”, he snorted, but quickly escaped towards the break room.

Juyeon watched him leave, his soft smile lingering on his lips. Jaehyun shook his head, and returned to the counter in front of him where he was cutting some vegetables. “Juyeon, you know I rooted for the both of you, but I still can’t see what you find attractive about that _toddler_.”

Juyeon turned around, an offended look on his face. “He’s an adult. Stop calling him a toddler.”

Jaehyun laughed, not thinking that Juyeon was really upset. “We’ll see when he starts acting like one”, he shrugged, and then made a pause. “So, anyway, where are you taking him for your first date?”

Juyeon looked behind him in a slight panic. “Not so loud! It’s supposed to be a surprise. And about the location, that’s a surprise, too.”

“I’m not the one you’re taking out, so you can tell me.” Jaehyun argued.

“I _could_ , but you would probably find a way to spoil it to him, so, I won’t.”

Jaehyun pouted, but Juyeon was firm about his intentions. They both returned to their cooking, Jaehyun preparing the sauce, and Juyeon running around the kitchen to complete various tasks. Eric was seen storming through the kitchen, barely tying his apron properly and washing his hands definitely faster than the recommended time before entering the dining room, slightly out of breath. Jaehyun chuckled at the younger’s frantic appearance, but at least Eric had found a way to be on time for the beginning of his shift.

About three hours later, they had closed the shop and were getting ready to complete their last tasks before they could leave. Sunwoo had come in an hour after Eric, and was working the closing shift along with Jaehyun and Eric. Juyeon’s shift had ended an hour before the closing, but he had promised Eric to wait for him, so he left to hide in the break room.

Jaehyun saw him come out of the break room not even a minute after the closing time, barely sparing Jaehyun a glance before going out into the dining area to meet Eric. The younger dropped his washing cloth on the table he’d been wiping to turn to Juyeon. Something about the way Juyeon was carrying himself betrayed his nervosity, but his facial features relaxed considerably the second Eric flashed him his brightest smile.

Juyeon wrapped a hand around the younger’s waist, just above the tie of his black apron, and pulled him closer. He leant his head down slightly to steal a quick, shy kiss from Eric. The blonde had a gentle hold on Juyeon’s arms and he quietly pulled at them, asking for another kiss with bright red cheeks Jaehyun was able to see from all the way to the kitchen. Juyeon seemed more than glad to give it to him, pressing their lips together once more, delicately, and the moment was so intimate Jaehyun almost looked away, but his curiosity still got the best of him. When they pulled apart, they were both smiling, holding each other close as if no one could see them.

“Youngjae?” Juyeon suddenly called, breaking the comfortable silence that had draped around them.

Eric’s eyes hadn’t left Juyeon’s lips, and now threaded back up to meet Juyeon’s eyes. They both stared shyly at each other, before Juyeon looked down nervously.

“Would you... would you like to go on a date? With me?” he asked, hopeful as he looked back at Eric.

The younger blushed furiously before nodding, and gently pressing his lips against Juyeon’s again while his hands came to cup the taller’s face.

Jaehyun, heard a snort coming from next to him. He turned around to see Sunwoo, face scrunched up and eyes locked on the two lovebirds in front of them. “I should be finding this disgusting...” the younger trailed, “but they’re so cute.”

Jaehyun laughed, not so quietly, but one glance at the young couple let him know that they weren’t paying any attention to them. “This is all thanks to us.”

“I know”, Sunwoo laughed. “It’s so weird. Eric got me Haknyeon, and now I got him Juyeon.”

“Except, you needed my help, and Eric did it all himself.”

Sunwoo narrowed his eyes. “You almost screwed everything up!”

Jaehyun shrugged. “I’m still going to take credit where it’s due. I think I suffered more than them through this whole thing.”

Sunwoo groaned in agreement.

Two days later, Juyeon had fulfilled his promise of taking Eric on a date. The two of them had went to a restaurant slightly fancier than the ones they usually visited. They both had dressed up, still in their usual styles, but this time, Eric had actually taken the time to do his hair, and to finish up his outfit with some jewelry. Next to Juyeon, he still found a way to believe he was severely underdressed, but the older had repeatedly complimented Eric during the first part of their date, to the point where Eric was now almost believing him.

As they exited the restaurant, they entered Juyeon’s car once again. Eric expected the date to be over, and was a little (a lot) disappointed that it would end so quickly, after just a little more than an hour spent inside the restaurant. He thought they were taking the car so that Juyeon would drive him back home, and that in less than twenty minutes he would be laying flat on his bed, asking himself if this date had even been real.

However, as they buckled their seatbelts, Juyeon turned his head to look at Eric. He noticed the not so subtle pout on the younger’s face, and cheered internally at the thought that Eric didn’t want their date to end, and that this meant the second part of the evening would be even better than the first one.

“Ready for our next stop?” Juyeon asked, eyes twinkling excitedly.

Eric jolted upwards, turning towards Juyeon faster than Juyeon could even comprehend. “Where are we going?” the younger asked, eyes wide in anticipation.

Juyeon smirked knowingly, and positioned himself to start the car. As he reversed out of the parking spot, an arm around Eric’s seat, he briefly winked at the younger. “It’s a surprise, baby.”

Eric’s face burned at the pet name. Juyeon started driving, completely oblivious to the internal whirlwind of emotions he had just put his younger boyfriend in.

The realization of what he had done, and said, fully hit him only a minute later, as they were waiting at a red light. Juyeon’s eyes widened in panic, and he turned his head towards Eric.

“Is it okay if I call you that?” he asked, watching carefully as Eric’s cheeks reddened.

“Y-yeah”, the blonde stuttered, shyly holding Juyeon’s gaze.

“Okay”, Juyeon nodded in satisfaction, turning back to the red light in front of them.

“Okay” Eric repeated, and an uncomfortable silence filled the car.

As the light turned to green, Juyeon started driving again, but the atmosphere stayed awkward, and Juyeon was starting to regret everything – was he moving too fast? They hadn’t been dating for that long, the romantic aspect of their relationship was still all new to them. Should he have waited a bit? They had promised each other to take things slow, but calling Eric “baby” on their first date wasn’t exactly taking things slow, was it?

Juyeon awkwardly cleared his throat, eyes on the road, but his attention turned all to Eric. “I should have asked before calling you that”, he said, ears open to catch any audible answer from Eric. “I’m sorry”, he apologized, frowning at himself.

“No, no, it’s fine hyung”, Eric quickly reassured him, and although it was still as clear as day in his voice just how flustered he was, Juyeon knew that Eric wasn’t one to beat around the bush and say things if he didn’t mean them.

Juyeon took a deep breath in, feeling his insecurities let go of their hold on him. It was fine. Eric was fine.

“Okay”, his voice held an undercurrent of determination. He bit his lips to refrain a happy smile from appearing on his face, but the corners of his cheeks were still rising cheerfully, and his eyes shining with happiness. “Baby” he added quickly, and couldn’t help the bubbly feeling warming up his heart at the embarrassed yelp that Eric let out.

Juyeon finally found an underground parking near their destination about ten minutes of driving later. Pocketing his phone and wallet, Juyeon got out of his car, and met Eric on the passenger’s side. He held out his hand for the younger to grab, and together they found the staircase that would lead them back to the outside world.

“Did you recognize the area on our way here?” Juyeon asked, stealing a look at Eric as they climbed a few flights of stairs, hand in hand.

Eric shook his head, fluffy blonde hair sweeping in front of his eyes. “Was I supposed to know?” he asked, curious eyes landing on Juyeon’s awaiting ones.

Juyeon just smiled mysteriously. “I’m sure you’ll realize sooner or later.”

As they stepped out onto the street, Eric still couldn’t put his finger on where exactly Juyeon had taken them. A few of the lit-up signs seemed familiar, but not enough that he would remember coming here in the past. The street looked just like any other busy Seoul street.

After a short walk, Juyeon leading the way into the tight crowd, the older made them stop in the middle of the sidewalk, and pulled Eric out of the hurried walking crowd, right in front of the entrance of one of the commercial buildings. Eric’s eyes searched around the entrance, and he gasped in realization at the commercial logo on the glass doors. “Oh my god, you didn’t!” Eric squealed in excitement.

Juyeon was smiling at the younger’s reaction. As they stepped through the doors, they both were flooded with memories of the first time they had come here, many years ago.

_“Sunwoo, Hyunjoon and I are going first!” the youngest of the bunch called out, barely one foot into the karaoke place._

_“What?” Sunwoo protested. “I didn’t agree to this.”_

_“No, Haknyeon and I want to start! Right, Haknyeon-ie?” an excited Jaehyun shouted._

_“Yeah! We already have our songs selected!” Haknyeon replied._

_Sangyeon was laughing, putting a hand on Jaehyun and Eric’s shoulders. “No fighting guys, we’ll all have a go.”_

_Jaehyun and Eric both whined, before Sangyeon continued. “But, since it’s Eric first time at a Korean karaoke, I think we should let him start.”_

_“Not fair!” Jaehyun complained, earning himself a slap on the arm by none other than Younghoon._

_“Let the younger ones go first, Jae” he chuckled._

_As the chaotic group piled into the karaoke’s lobby, Sangyeon walked ahead to the counter to pay for their reservation._

This time, it was Juyeon who took his wallet out, Eric reluctantly letting go of his warm hand to let him pay. They received some instructions, and a room number. They walked down the hallway to find it, and stepped in. The room was quite small, smaller than the one they’d been lent when they had come with their large group, but this time it was just the two of them, in the tiny space.

Juyeon sat on the long couch, and Eric instantly snatched the controller from the small table. The younger sat down too, scooting over to Juyeon as his eyes were eagerly going back and forth from the television and the controller in his hands. Juyeon wrapped an arm around Eric’s body, tugging him closer and resting his chin onto the blonde’s shoulder. Eric immediately stopped bouncing in excitement to melt into Juyeon’s embrace, but his fingers were still working fast at getting the machine started.

“Which song do you want to go for?” Juyeon asked, getting a look at Eric’s side profile, letting his eyes trail along the younger’s cute high nose, down to his small lips curled up in excitement.

Eric made a pause. He looked up, as if lost in thoughts, then glanced down to get a side look at Juyeon’s face. The older was closer than he’d expected, making his slips slam shut in surprise. He blinked at Juyeon, but the older was still waiting expectantly. “You sure you’re letting me choose?” Eric asked, a playfully warning glint in his eyes.

Juyeon’s heart could burst at how cute Eric was. To know how much the younger had grown from the first – and the last – time they had come here, how he had taken in maturity, while still behind the adorable boy Juyeon had always known. He pressed a quick kiss to the younger’s cheek. “Of course.”

Eric giggled happily, and started typing away on the remote. Juyeon’s eyes never left Eric’s face, not even to look at whatever the blonde was searching for on the screen. Eric tug at Juyeon’s arm around him, buzzing in excitement as he pointed at the screen. Juyeon let go of the younger, letting him spring to his feet and grab the two mics from the coffee table in front of them. Eric handed one over to Juyeon while clutching the other to his chest, an expectant look on his face.

Juyeon could see Eric’s face redden when their fingers brushed together, but the younger’s expression didn’t falter. The first notes of the song echoed through the room, and Juyeon’s heart jumped at the familiarity of the song.

_The group of friends had indeed let their three youngest start the evening. Under Hyunjoon’s recommendation, they had picked a song by a new rising boygroup that the raven-haired was currently obsessed with. They had fired up the room in seconds with their overflowing energy, and had then tossed the flame onto another trio, made up of Jaehyun, Haknyeon and Changmin, soon followed by a funky rap battle between Sunwoo, Jacob and Jaehyun. Kevin and Chanhee had then gone up to sing a softer ballad, much to Eric’s dismay. The younger had immediately after stolen the stage in order to bring the energy back in the room with his powerful interpretation of G-Dragon’s new song ‘Crooked’._

_After a round of applause and excited cheering, Eric plopped himself down on the couch, a proud smile on his face despite the thin layer of sweat coating his forehead. Kevin immediately stretched a hand for Eric to high-five. Eric slowly regained his breath, and ran a hand through his hair in an attempt to bring the wild strands back down._

_As a few of his friends were still giving him appreciative claps on the back, Sangyeon and Younghoon were now stepping up for their duet. The boys gave them some loud encouragements, especially since Younghoon had been a bit reluctant to go._

_“Kill it, Hoon-ie!” Jaehyun shouted._

_“Yeah hyungs, show us what you got!” Changmin followed as an effort to fire them up._

_Eric took part in the loud clapping, feeling overwhelmed by the close connection between the boys, the way they were all so supportive of each other. Eric had known the group for a couple of months now, but hanging out with the entire group all at once was a rare occasion. He stuck around with Sunwoo and Hyunjoon the most, as they were classmates, as well as a few of the boys who attended the same school as them, but he didn’t see the older boys quite as often. He didn’t feel too close to those of them he saw less often, more like they were acquaintances, friends of his new friends. Nonetheless, he was slowly getting to know each member of the tight-knit group, and developing genuine friendships with them too. Eric couldn’t stand that awkward line between acquaintance and friendship, hence why he aimed to get closer to the entirety of the group as soon as possible. He naturally loved being around people and meeting new friends, and so far, that had helped him find his place within the group._

_As he let his gaze linger on the boys all huddled on the long couch, his eyes stopped on one particular older boy. He was amongst those Eric had deemed to be a little shy, distant with him as they didn’t know him very well, and they visibly preferred sticking with the friends they were already comfortable with. Seeing as they always ended up in the same group gatherings, Eric knew it was only a matter of time before he’d crack down the older’s reserved personality, just how he had already gotten closer to Chanhee, despite the other’s cold outer appearance towards strangers._

_Eric didn’t think twice before getting up, and squeezing himself right between the silent boy and a Changmin that was too busy cheering on the singing duo to care about being pushed closer to Chanhee on his left. Juyeon looked at Eric curiously, but didn’t say a thing, as he shuffled to give Eric more space to sit down._

_“Hyung”, Eric started, effectively grabbing Juyeon’s attention, “you like to dance more than sing, right?”_

_Juyeon’s head tilted slightly, curious but also confused. “That’s... that’s right.”_

_Eric shot him his signature, bright and enthusiastic Eric smile. “What about we do the next one together, then?”_

_The older looked at him, a reluctant look on his face. Eric had figured that the dark-haired would probably not be so excited at the idea of singing a dance song with him in front of all their friends, considering that he didn’t seem the type to put himself in the center of attention for a start, even less with a younger guy that he barely knew by name. That thought process didn’t discourage Eric in the slightest._

_“C’mon hyung, you haven’t had your turn yet!” Eric protested, his voice almost whiny. “We’ll even do my current favourite song. You know you’re lucky that I’d want to share my favourite song with you, right?”_

_Juyeon laughed quietly at the other’s words. He didn’t know the foreign boy all too well, and hadn’t yet made any extra effort to get closer to him – he had_ wanted _to, since the smaller seemed already so close to Sunwoo and Hyunjoon, but now, after merely a few seconds of talking, the younger’s bubbly personality was already intriguing him and had him wondering why he had been so reluctant to talk to him in the first place._

_Eric’s smile turned even brighter at the positive reaction. Judging from the look on Juyeon’s face, he considered his duet offer accepted._

_Eric stood up from his seat and stumbled over to Kevin, in the center of the couch, and the one in control of the remote. He bent down to the level of the Canadian’s ear to whisper his song choice and who he’d be doing it with. Kevin shot him a thumbs up, immediately moving to add the song onto the group’s list._

_After Sangyeon and Younghoon sat back on their seats, Chanhee, Changmin and Haknyeon shot up for their turn. Eric had sat back next to Juyeon, anticipation building up in his heart._

This time, unexpectedly way more excited than the last, Eric brought his mic up to his lips, staring at Juyeon with a cheeky grin. “ _Yo, okay”_ , he started with a sassy shrug of his shoulders. “ _Sexy”_ , he whispered, winking playfully at his boyfriend.

A smirk was brought to Juyeon’s own face as he heard Eric start the first rap part of the song. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the younger as he loudly sang the next part, clearly enjoying himself as he danced a little. _Just like how he had all those years ago_ , Juyeon thought with amusement.

Just as the pre-chorus was about to hit, Eric reached out his hand for Juyeon to grab, and pulled the older up from his seat. He motioned for Juyeon to take the center of the room, and held out his own mic towards him as an invitation for him to start singing. This time, Juyeon confidently dived right into the words, albeit a bit frozen in place. Eric was letting himself go, clicking his fingers along with the music and grooving along to the beat.

As the chorus hit, they both sang together, while shyly dancing the steps they could remember from the original dance. They were side by side, and Juyeon stole glances at the younger who was laughing as they danced. Juyeon’s heart skipped a beat at just how _right_ this all felt, how comfortable he felt being with Eric, he felt like he could do anything if he’d have the younger by his side.

_Eric stood up confidently as Kevin was pressing play on the song he’d chosen. He took a mic from Changmin’s hand and made a show of straightening his t-shirt, wiping inexistent dust from his shoulders before fully taking the center of the room. He glanced back over his shoulder at his little crowd, bringing the mic to his lips as he started the song. “Yo, okay”, he purposefully chuckled into the mic. He looked over his other shoulder, making eye contact with Juyeon, who was still seated despite Chanhee’s attempts at pushing him up. “Sexy”, he whispered, earning some loud cheering from his audience, and some surprised yells. When had Eric learned to act like that?_

_“Kevin!” he heard Jacob shriek in English. “How could you let Eric choose this song?”_

_Kevin was just laughing as a response. Sure, Eric was still somewhat of a kid, 13, almost 14 years old, but Jacob didn’t need to be so worried. From getting to know the younger, Kevin knew that whatever_ this _was that Eric was doing, it was all innocent._

_Eric made it all the way to the pre-chorus on his own, belting out the lyrics that he knew by heart, with some notes coming out awkwardly but overall with disconcerting stability. He could be grateful to his sports years for gifting him such strong lungs, allowing him to both sing his heart out and execute part of the dance moves to entertain his audience all at the same time. But there was one problem; Juyeon was still frozen on the couch, and Chanhee had long since given up on him. But Eric hadn’t._

_As the pre-chorus was reaching its end, Eric took a few strides towards the older. He reached out a hand, giving Juyeon a challenging look. Under the pressure of all their friends’ expectant eyes on him, and their insistent shouts manifesting their encouragements, Juyeon had no choice but to grab the younger’s hand and allow him to pull him to his feet, and drag him all the way to the middle of the room. Juyeon stumbled a bit, but managed to stand awkwardly at Eric’s side, the mic Chanhee previously used clutched in his hand. Eric started dancing again as the chorus hit, while singing at the same time._

_Slowly, Juyeon started dancing along, not putting in his full capacity, but moving his body nonetheless. At the sight, Eric smiled at him encouragingly. He didn’t know what it was, but something about helping Juyeon come out of his shell was extremely rewarding to him._

_As for Juyeon, he forced his mind to stop overthinking his every move, and to just let go. Before he knew it, the possibility of embarrassment was long forgotten, and all he knew was that he was having_ fun, _and that it was all the little stranger that had caused it._

_Eric felt pride rise in him as he saw Juyeon progressively give in to the music, until he saw the older lift his own mic up to his lips. They were at the second pre-chorus, where high-notes were scattered around like a minefield._

_Everyone screamed in amazement at the surprising power and accuracy of Juyeon’s voice. By the time the second chorus hit, Eric was able to see Juyeon fully dancing next to him, and he almost stopped himself in shock at how impressive the older’s moves were. Juyeon now stole a glance at him, a slight smirk on, as they both sang together, and danced around each other._

Juyeon wasn’t dancing at his full potential, mainly for the fact that this time, he didn’t quite want to abandon himself to the music. He’d very much rather enjoy the moment and remain aware of the fact that it was just Eric and him, in their own world, with no one to judge and no one to impress.

It was after that first time at karaoke that Juyeon had decided he wanted to start taking real dance lessons, only for fun, and that hobby had followed him to this day, leading to him sometimes dancing with Changmin, even though to Juyeon it wasn’t anything close to a professional career.

Now a trained dancer, Juyeon was aware of his habits, knowing that if he fully dived in, his mind would be blocking out everything other than dance, and he didn’t want that. He wanted to see Eric, he wanted to feel their connection, to hear the younger’s excited laughs through his heavy breaths. Rather than trying to impress with his dancing abilities, he chose to accommodate to Eric’s amateur style, so that the both of them could be in synch.

He could see Eric radiating happiness, a small laugh in his voice every time he’d catch Juyeon staring, or every time they’d synchronise a move perfectly. Juyeon’s own singing voice remained quite stable, accompanied by Eric’s own, interrupted by his laughs and his panting.

And of course, just like in every self-respecting kpop love song, there would be an uncalled for “ _baby”_ thrown somewhere in the lyrics, and Juyeon really wouldn’t have wanted to be too far gone into dancing to miss the unmistakable blush that creeped up Eric’s face as Juyeon knowingly sang the word directly to him, not just once, but twice in the span of five seconds.

_When it got to the bridge of the song, the two boys briefly stopped dancing to focus on the more difficult rap portion of the song. Surprising Eric, Juyeon was the one to pull him by the arm so that they could face each other. Eric nearly stayed stunned at the playful glint on Juyeon’s face, and the confident way with which he was rapping directly to him. He was bewildered at the complete 180 in the personality of the boy that had so far always treated him with some kind of wary distance. Eric shook the surprise off to let himself enjoy the song, returning the words to the older as if they were in a rap battle. At the last rap line, Juyeon pulled Eric towards him, slinging an arm around his shoulder, and they both leaned backwards to shout it out from the top of their lungs._

_If Eric had needed to skip the softer singing line that came next to regain his breath, Juyeon handled it perfectly. The older read the words off the screen, even though he already knew them by heart, too; maybe as a way to hide his insecurities from the rest of the group, so that he wouldn’t have to see their reactions to whatever he had just done, and whatever he was still doing._

At the bridge, Eric and Juyeon stopped to stare right at each other’s eyes, the battling fire from their first duet not there anymore. There was no need for the sense of pride from their youthful years, trying to impress their friends by upping the other, when it was only the two of them, and their deep and unique connection.

The fire was instead replaced by adoration, and the immense satisfaction that they could finally lock eyes with each other like that, rapping playfully, for as long as they wanted, because it wasn’t forbidden anymore, because they could let go and get lost in the other without fear of breaking the bond they shared.

Eric had no reason to be scared anymore. His feelings for Juyeon had been the only thing he had ever hidden from his friend, and now that everything was out in the open, he’d never felt more free, comfortable, rightfully honest as there wasn’t the guilt at the back of his head that he was lying to Juyeon by being just a friend.

_They finished the song together, bringing out the last of their energy for an award-show worthy ending – at least from Eric’s perspective. They stayed in place, trying to catch their breath as they both stared at the screen to wait for their score. When they got a whopping 98, their friends cheered on them loudly._

_Amongst the commotion of the next guys getting ready to perform and the rest of them still congratulating them for the little number they had just pulled, Eric stole a glance at Juyeon. The older was sporting a shy yet confident smile, cheeks red under the thin layer of sweat that had now covered them. They both returned to their original seats, Eric in between Kevin and Sunwoo, and Juyeon at the end, next to Changmin. Eric’s chest heaved as he was still quite out of breath, but the satisfaction of having made Juyeon get loosened up, and maybe the idea that they would become closer after that, was leaving him overly satisfied._

They finished off the last powerful line together, and waited side by side for their score. 55. Juyeon chuckled, while Eric pouted. “That’s so bad!” he complained loudly, before Juyeon wrapped him in his arms to nuzzle his face into the younger’s neck, leaving feather-like kisses onto the exposed skin. Eric giggled at the tingly feeling, grabbing Juyeon’s arms to steady himself during the sudden attack.

_Juyeon didn’t care about their impressive score, or about the instant respect that it brought him from his friends. All he knew was that he had just developed a new interest in the new guy in the group, the little boy he would always just see clinging at Sunwoo, or goofing out with Kevin. He was quite stunned that this boy had somehow just managed to get him to dance and sing his heart out in front of everyone he cared about, and that he hadn’t even thought once about being embarrassed while doing it. This Eric kid was definitely something, his energy endearing, and he finally understood how the boy had managed to carve himself a spot into his friend group so easily._

Juyeon didn’t care about their mediocre score, because there he was, holding Eric in his arms, now leaving soft kisses all over the boy’s face, and he was reminded that it was all thanks to the younger that he had first opened up, properly danced in front of other people for the first time, it was Eric who had pulled him towards him to spark what would be a beautiful six-year-long friendship. It was Eric who had taught him it was okay to be friends with someone younger, shaping their dynamics into one more of a older-younger brother friendship that had tightened their bond, to end up leading to the blooming of a whole new step of their relationship, one he was now more than willing to jump in feet first.

Eric was squirming in his arms, making Juyeon pull away a little. Eric’s face was glowing, from the sweat, the wetness of Juyeon’s lips, and the happiness all together, and Juyeon couldn’t help but to lean in once more to leave a kiss right on his boyfriend’s cute nose. Eric blinked adorably, making the smile on Juyeon’s face widen.

“Should we do another song?” Eric asked shyly, and Juyeon was oh so gone for that side of the younger, such a shocking contrast with his usual loud front, but extremely endearing nonetheless.

Juyeon unwrapped an arm from around Eric to come and cup the boy’s face in his hand, delicately running his thumb over the soft skin of his cheek. “You can pick.”

Juyeon just _knew_ Eric was about to argue against that by the expression that was forming on his face, when the small frown suddenly dropped, and Eric’s innocent eyes stared at him instead, and the younger grinned playfully. “What about Call me Baby?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you were wondering, the song they're singing is Growl by Exo! Definitely inspired by the fact that this is the song that made Eric want to become an idol. I actually had this chapter planned for over a month now, and since Eric just told the story again on this podcast he was on, I thought it was the perfect time to release it!
> 
> I hope the cringe in this chapter won't scare everyone away from this story


	13. a divorce

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Eric and Juyeon are still busy taking baby steps together, two of their friends find their own relationship destabilized by an obstacle they throw in their own way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little warning: This chapter is a bit all over the place - I don't want to spoil anything, but if there's a part you feel uncomfortable with, please feel free to skip it!
> 
> Now, if you're even just a little familiar with the tbz ships, you probably associate the word "divorce" with one specific ship that just so happens to be in this fic... without further ado, here’s my own rendition of The Divorce – a dive into sunhak’s world.

If Eric and Juyeon had felt slightly awkward with each other after having made things official, it hadn’t lasted very long. Their usual close dynamic had quickly returned, except, Eric was now even clingier to Juyeon, and Juyeon was more whipped than he’d ever been. They were definitely floating on that honeymoon stage of their relationship, and they enjoyed every single second of it.

When Eric came to lean onto the kitchen counter for the billionth time that day, eyes only for Juyeon, he never noticed the exasperated eye rolls Chanhee and Kevin exchanged at each other. Eric was just waiting for Chanhee to finish putting together an order for one of his tables, but Eric seized every opportunity to come close to Juyeon and admire the older’s attractive features from up close. Juyeon had a shy smile on as he tried to stay focused on his cooking. He was failing miserably, his hands suddenly clumsy every time the younger boy made a stop near him.

Eric and Juyeon were busy giving each other heart eyes when Haknyeon entered the restaurant, a big dark cloud hanging over his head. He harshly pushed the kitchen doors in front of him and didn’t look at anyone before slamming the break room’s door behind him. The other boys all halted their movements in shock. Eric and Juyeon were a bit slow to notice, and eventually broke their eye contact at the loud sound of the door slamming shut.

“What’s gotten into him?” Chanhee asked, perplexed.

“I’ve never seen Haknyeon act like this”, Kevin looked the most taken aback.

“That was Haknyeon-ie?” Juyeon exclaimed in surprise.

Chanhee sighed in exasperation. “If you two weren’t so obsessed with each other, you’d have noticed.”

Eric and Juyeon exchanged looks again, this time with embarrassed smiles. Chanhee suddenly frowned. “Wait, I was going to say we should ask Sunwoo about Hak, but isn’t Sunwoo supposed to come in at the same time as him? Sangyeon hyung always gives them the same shifts recently.”

Chanhee dropped his cutting knife onto his board and walked towards the break room. The three other boys peered curiously. Chanhee stopped in front of the closed door, giving it a gentle knock.

“Hak?” he called. “Where’s Sunwoo?”

“Going to be late”, Haknyeon shouted back, and the anger in his voice was almost too perceptible.

Chanhee didn’t push any more and came back to his working station. He grabbed the dish that Kevin had just finished making, and placed it onto a tray that he brought up onto the higher counter for Eric to grab.

“Table 3”, he instructed, and the Haknyeon incident wasn’t discussed any further.

About ten minutes later, Haknyeon had started his work shift. Eric knew that the happiness he displayed was forced, only for the sake of the customers. He could tell that his smile was fabricated, his laugh only polite, and his voice sounded strained. Had he cried? Eric refrained from asking questions while they were working, but he did his best to help Haknyeon, by covering his mistakes and helping him carry larger orders. Sunwoo hadn’t arrived on time for his shift, but none of the boys had risked asking Haknyeon about it.

The red-haired finally made the entrance door’s bell ring about twenty minutes after Haknyeon’s troubling entrance. He crossed the dining area, clothes and hair soaking wet from the rain, his footsteps leaving small puddles of mud and water behind him. Eric had completely stopped working, worried sick for his best friend, until he realized that Haknyeon had carried on helping out customers, fake smile still on and completely ignoring his boyfriend who had just walked into the restaurant in the worst state Eric had probably ever seen him in.

Eric glanced at Chanhee over the kitchen counter. The older gave him a small nod, before turning to exchange a few words with Kevin. The raven-haired cook walked into the dining area a few seconds later, and Eric tossed his order pad onto him, rushing into the kitchens. He followed the dirty traces on the tiled floor to find Sunwoo into the break room, slumped on a chair and staring blankly at the wall in front of him, his jacket dripping water droplets around his feet.

“Sun?” Eric asked, trying to mask the worry into his voice.

Eric suddenly noticed that the older was shaking slightly, his jaw tense and fists clenched onto the table. Eric closed the break room door behind him and sat down on the chair next to his best friend. No words were exchanged, Eric pulling Sunwoo into his embrace and the older’s body immediately going limp, his head buried into Eric’s shoulder as he started sobbing quietly. Eric rubbed circles onto Sunwoo’s back, his heart breaking into a million pieces.

“It’s okay Sun”, Eric whispered, “it’s okay.”

It took around ten minutes for Sunwoo’s trembling to lessen, and, eventually, for his tears to stop falling. Eric held him for as long as Sunwoo didn’t move away. He knew the older hated crying in front of others, and that he’d probably be embarrassed to death if Eric saw him with his eyes as red and puffy as they surely were, face destroyed by ugly tear streaks. Eric squeezed Sunwoo lightly and ran a hand through his hair.

“Thank you”, Sunwoo’s voice was muffled from his position, raspy from the crying, but Eric caught the message.

“Do you want me to take you back home?” he offered.

Sunwoo violently shook his head against Eric’s shoulder. Eric froze, his worry increasing.

“My house then?” Eric tried again.

When he received no response, he slowly detached himself from Sunwoo. The older looked so vulnerable.

“Okay, let me just text the guys real quick.” Eric said, an arm still wrapped around Sunwoo but the other reaching into his back pocket to fetch his phone.

He privately texted Chanhee to ask for permission to leave with his best friend. The older replied with a thumbs up. Eric sent a “Don’t let Haknyeon leave without someone talking to him, alright?” to Juyeon, and put his phone away again. Sunwoo’s head hung low, and he was still hiccupping every few seconds, but other than that, he looked like he’d gained control over his emotions again. Eric delicately grabbed one of his hands from their place on the older’s lap, and sent him a look, silently asking if he was ready to leave. Sunwoo nodded weakly. Eric pulled the both of them to their feet. He quickly picked up his backpack and Sunwoo’s from their spot on the floor, and he walked out of the breakroom, making sure that Sunwoo was following.

The older was close behind as they crossed the restaurant. They made a stop at Sangyeon’s office, stealing the spare umbrella that their friend always kept under his desk. Eric was well aware of everyone’s worried and confused looks towards them, but he simply waved them off, and quickly told Juyeon to not wait for him. Eric thought Haknyeon would ignore them as they left, but as the two boys stepped outside, he caught the older staring right at them, eyes hooded with sadness.

Sunwoo stayed at Eric’s house for the night. The boy was exhausted, Eric noted, probably sleep deprived from whatever fight him and Haknyeon had gotten into. He had passed out on Eric’s bed as soon as he’d laid down in the safe space. Eric hadn’t pushed the older to talk, and Sunwoo hadn’t said a word about the situation. The next day, he’d moved to stay in Changmin’s abandoned room in Juyeon and Jaehyun’s apartment. And if that was the perfect excuse for Eric to sleep over at the apartment as well, he wasn’t going to tell anyone.

Eric finally got to know what was making Sunwoo, and Haknyeon, feel this way three days after he’d first brought his best friend to his house. Juyeon was driving Eric back from a shift they’d worked together. Younghoon had covered for Sunwoo’s shift, so the boy had now been staying in the apartment for three days consecutively, without going outside even once. Eric was blabbering to Juyeon the entire ride back about how worried he was.

“You wanna know what I think”, Eric spoke, then taking a pause for the first time since the beginning of the drive. Juyeon hummed, eyes on the road, as a way to tell him to continue.

“I think that this is their first fight, and sure they’re upset about whatever happened, but I think they’re just being overly dramatic because it’s their first fight in the five years they’ve been together. They didn’t even break up.”

“Officially. We don’t know yet.” Juyeon reminded him.

Eric stole a glance at Juyeon. It was true that Sunwoo and Haknyeon were acting like two people who had just broken up. They hadn’t contacted each other, at least to Eric’s knowledge, and despite Sunwoo’s efforts to hide from Eric, the younger knew that his best friend had cried a couple of times when he was alone. Eric looked at Juyeon again.

“What do you think our first fight would be about?” Eric asked curiously.

Juyeon’s eyes widened in surprise at the question. He gripped the wheel tighter. “I’d like not to think about it.”

Eric nodded pensively. It took a few seconds before he sat up straight in his seat, so fast that one could almost see the lightbulb above his head.

“Hyung. You suck at driving”, he stated matter-of-factly, his eyes screening Juyeon’s face for his reaction.

Juyeon’s eyes didn’t leave the road, but his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “I’m sorry?” he asked, sounding a bit offended.

Eric bit the inside of his cheeks to hold back his laughter. “Yeah. I’d feel safer riding behind on Kevin’s bike with Changmin hyung on it too than being in a car driven by you.”

Juyeon scoffed. “Yah- I’m a good driver!” he exclaimed. “When _you_ learn how to drive, we can have this conversation again.”

“If I keep getting into cars with you, I’m not sure I’ll actually make it to that conversation.”

Juyeon looked annoyed now, making Eric smirk.

“You know, I’m not getting paid to drive you around like this”, Juyeon stated, eyes on the road as he made a left turn. “You get what you get. And be thankful!”

Eric hummed. “I guess I’ll just start asking Hyunjae hyung to drive me places then.”

Juyeon slammed his foot on the brake to make the car stop at a red light, maybe a bit more abruptly than necessary. He quickly whipped his head towards Eric. “Yah, why would you–”

He stopped mid-sentence when his annoyed stare found Eric smiling at him. Eric giggled, intertwining his fingers with Juyeon’s, pulling his hand down from the wheel onto his own lap. “There we go”, Eric grinned proudly. “We just had our first fight. We don’t have to think about it anymore.”

Juyeon’s jaw dropped in disbelief. Eric laughed at him, teasingly pushing the older’s chin up with a finger. Eric’s hand dropped, and he watched as Juyeon’s shocked expression turned into a lovestruck one, the corners of his mouth tilting up. He was about to open his mouth to speak, when a loud honk made him jump in his seat.

Eric burst into laughter, smacking Juyeon’s chest excitedly. “Go on, my pro racer, drive us home!” he teased, making Juyeon all flustered before the older started driving, going past the green light they had been stopped at for way too long.

When they stepped into the apartment, they found Sunwoo on the couch, watching tv with a bowl of ramen on his lap. Eric dropped his backpack on the floor and ran to the red-haired boy. He sat down next to him, and Sunwoo turned towards him, face blank and eyes droopy from a clear lack of sleep. Juyeon eyed the two for a few seconds, before deciding to leave them alone, going to check on Jaehyun in the latter’s room.

“You’re ready to talk?”, Eric asked, but it was an empty question. He knew Sunwoo was ready, simply from the fact that he’d walked out of Changmin’s room for a purpose other than to use the bathroom, the first time he had done that ever since he’d started staying at the apartment.

Sunwoo nodded in response. Eric took the half-empty bowl from his hands, putting it down on the coffee table and turning off the television. He carded a hand through Sunwoo’s hair, until the older slowly laid down to rest his head onto Eric’s lap. Sunwoo liked to make everyone believe he wasn’t one for physical affection, but Eric knew better. He’d seen how touchy the older would get in private with Haknyeon, and he knew that in his worst moments, Sunwoo would appreciate the comfort of having his best friend close to him.

Sunwoo stayed silent for a few minutes, enjoying Eric’s, for once, calming presence. He brought one hand to silently hug at his friend’s knee, a small gesture proving to Eric that Sunwoo was indeed in need of reassurance that Eric wasn’t going to go away.

“I hurt him”, Sunwoo breathed out, barely audible. “Eric, I hurt him.”

Eric blinked a few times, frowning at the confession. His hand kept the same slow and steady movements through Sunwoo’s hair as to not give away his shock. Had Sunwoo laid a hand on Haknyeon?

“What do you mean, Sun?” Eric asked, voice as soft as he could.

Sunwoo gripped tighter at Eric’s knee. “N-not physically”, he stammered, his breath shaky. “I was so mean to him, Eric. H-he won’t ever forgive me for it.”

Eric continued playing with Sunwoo’s hair. He stayed silent, but he hoped his proximity to the older boy was enough to reassure him that he could continue with his story.

“We... had sex”, Sunwoo breathed in, squeezing his eyes shut as the painful memories hit him. “We had sex, and then you know, well, you don’t _know_ , but usually I’m the one who cleans up after us when it gets messy, but this time- this time I let him do it, and I was even too lazy to help, I just _watched,_ and then, I don’t know, he was so _gorgeous_ and _naked_ , and I was in a great mood, I just wanted to tease him a little bit- I called him a _housewife_ –”

Sunwoo’s voice broke into a sob, one that he was visibly trying so hard to hold back. Eric shipped the unnecessary details about his friend’s sex life at the very back of his mind, instead focusing on Sunwoo himself, who had curled up onto himself and was staring into nothing, furiously trying to blink his tears away.

“You know how anxious his future makes him”, Sunwoo tried to explain, voice small and filled with guilt. “It eats him that he had to take a leap year to figure things out for himself. You know how much of an idealist he is, he always wants to do his best. Being a stay-at-home husband is the farthest thing from what he wants, like that he wouldn’t be able to explore the world and leave a trace of his own, he’d feel so trapped to be dependent on someone else to live, and that scares him so much. He only wants to do good, you know? Wants to make everyone proud, and most of all he wants to give back to his parents who gave up so much for him.”

Sunwoo made a pause to breathe. His tears had stopped; talking about Haknyeon was always a way for him to ground himself, make his heart feel less heavy in his chest, and Eric knew that all too well.

“When I saw him _cleaning,_ I don’t know, I thought it would be _funny_ ”, Sunwoo laughed dryly, “I thought it would be funny to tease him about it. His future is his biggest worry, and I know it’s never something to make jokes about with him. So, at _that_ point I’m not sure if he was just teasing me back, or if he was genuinely mad at me and he wanted some kind of revenge, but he said something about my musical aspirations being unrealistic, and that he could never be the housewife if I pursue something that’s never going to put anything on the bank account.”

Sunwoo’s grip on Eric’s knee was almost painful, but Eric didn’t say a thing.

“And then we both lost it. I said so many things that I regret, I regret it so much, Eric. He said I would never be successful in producing, and then I–” Sunwoo choked up on a sob, “I told him he’d better start wishing for me to succeed, or else he’d never be able to make a living because all he’ll know how to do will be to depend on me” Sunwoo had started crying, whole body shaking with each cry. “It escalated so wrong from there, we were yelling at each other, it was horrible!”

“Oh, Sunwoo...”, Eric whispered. He ran a calming hand over the boy’s left shoulder. “You didn’t mean those things, did you?”

“Of course not”, Sunwoo whimpered.

Eric looked down at Sunwoo. Even though his heart hurt for his best friend’s broken state, a small part of him couldn’t help but think that the older was an idiot. “Did you apologize to him?”

“No”, the reply came, barely a whisper. Eric rolled his eyes. He was grateful that Sunwoo wasn’t able to see his face, because his facial expression definitely wasn’t portraying the same reassuring feelings he was conveying through his words and calming gestures.

“Sun, he’s probably thinking the same as y–”

“I’m sure he didn’t mean what he said, either, okay, I know he’s the fucking most supportive boyfriend ever, but I can’t ever look at him again after I went for his biggest fear _as a joke_.” Sunwoo sniffed. He had hugged his knees up to his chest, and his gaze was lowered towards them, his head still on Eric’s lap.

“That night, I slept on the couch. And the next day, we were supposed to work together, and I just took for granted that he’d be driving me, because that’s just how we always do it. I even went down the staircase after him, out of habit. But when we were outside, he looked at me in the coldest way possible and he told me to walk. You know Haknyeon would give a ride to his worst enemy on rainy days like that one? He knew it was a thirty minutes walk to the restaurant, in the storm, and that we broke both our umbrellas last month. He hates me, Eric.”

Sunwoo’s quiet sobs were the only thing that could be heard in the living room. Eric was at loss for words. Sunwoo and Haknyeon had never gotten into a single fight, ever, so this was their first, meaning it was also Eric’s first time having to deal with Sunwoo’s otherwise unproblematic love life. He wasn’t too sure how to help, but one thing he was sure of was, he couldn’t let Sunwoo fall into a depression because of this, or give up on his relationship with Haknyeon.

“You two just spent a few days apart”, he tried to reason with the older. “You both had some time to wind things down. You know Haknyeon is physically unable to hate you, no matter how much of an idiot you are.”

Sunwoo scoffed through his tears. “I hate you.”

“Sure you do”, Eric grinned. “The point is, I’m sure he misses you as much as you miss him, and that he wishes he could take back everything he said just as much as you do.”

Sunwoo stayed silent, lost in his thoughts. Eric played with his bangs. “I’ll text him, alright?” Eric whispered. Sunwoo gave him a nod.

Eric sent quite a long text to Haknyeon, trying not to sound desperate, but still trying to convince the older to come over at Juyeon’s apartment. As it became evident that Haknyeon wasn’t going to reply right away, Eric turned the tv on again, putting on some random program that he knew Sunwoo wouldn’t mind watching.

When the reply came, Sunwoo had long fallen asleep in his lap. Juyeon and Jaehyun had come out of the older’s room only once, to fetch some food. Juyeon had brought some to his boyfriend, trapped under his best friend’s sleeping body, and they had disappeared again. Eric and Juyeon exchanged some texts, Eric trying to keep his laughs in in order to not wake Sunwoo up.

In the middle of typing a reply to Juyeon, Eric got a notification from Haknyeon. He immediately clicked on the conversation.

**haknyeon** : I appreciate you trying to help us, Eric, but... does he even want to see me?

Eric almost sighed in frustration. Was this how stupid his friends became as soon as there was a fight?

**eric** : hyung, I wouldn’t be texting you if he didn’t.

He really wouldn’t. Eric always took Sunwoo’s side no matter what. If Sunwoo hadn’t wanted to apologize to Haknyeon, Eric would have considered himself to be in a fight with Haknyeon as well.

**haknyeon** : I’ll come later tonight. I think it will be better if you guys are around as well. Just in case.

**eric** : I’m not worried, hyung. But if it makes you feel better, we’ll stay close by.

**haknyeon** : Thank you so much, Eric-ah

The doorbell to the apartment rang almost two hours later. Eric had started playing video games with Sunwoo as a way to distract the older, and the strategy had been working. Sunwoo had the same competitive behaviour he always had whenever it came to beating Eric in games, and Eric gave him his best competition, challenging Sunwoo as a way to boost the boy’s spirits.

As the doorbell rang, however, all of Eric’s efforts to try and bring Sunwoo into a happier mood vanished in a split second. He swore he could see the blood freeze in Sunwoo’s veins, his laughter dying immediately and his face falling. Eric gave him a small tap on the shoulder.

“You’ve got this, Sun”, he smiled encouragingly.

The older barely reacted at the words, his eyes fixed on the closed door as if he could see Haknyeon standing behind it. Eric finally went to open the door, revealing a tired-looking Haknyeon dressed in comfy clothes. Eric stepped aside to let him in, and then turned to look at Sunwoo, who hadn’t budged an inch.

“You know where to find me if there’s anything”, he told the both of them.

He stayed there a few more seconds, glancing at his two friends who were staring at each other. Once he realized they’d probably stay frozen like that for a while, he turned around and headed for Jaehyun’s room.

He knocked on the door, twisting the knob a few seconds later. Juyeon and Jaehyun were sat together on the floor at the foot of Jaehyun’s bed, both of them on their phones. Eric closed the door behind him and hopped to go and sit down next to Juyeon.

“Is Hak here?” Jaehyun asked.

Eric nodded. “He is, but I have no idea how long it’s going to take them to actually start talking. They were both like this–” Eric mimicked Sunwoo and Haknyeon’s stoic faces, making the other two laugh.

Juyeon then cleared his throat, untangling his criss-crossed legs to start getting up. “Well, I’m sorry hyung, but this is where I’m leaving you.”

Eric was quick on his feet, standing next to Juyeon and sending his boyfriend a questioning look. “Why are you leaving?”

Juyeon grinned. He pulled the younger towards him by the waist, and gave him a quick peck on the lips. “Sorry, I meant _we’re_ leaving. Wanna spend time with you.” He lowered his voice at the second sentence.

Eric made a realization face, then started blushing furiously. Juyeon smiled proudly and kissed him again, on the nose this time.

“Ew, just go already”, Jaehyun complained loudly.

The couple laughed sheepishly, before they scurried out of the room. They crossed the apartment to reach Juyeon’s room, closing the door behind them.

“So, what now?” Eric asked. “Hyunjae hyung’s gaming console is in the living room, but I have tons downloaded on my phone, or wait, no, let me help you clean out your dumpster of a–”

“Eric”, Juyeon smiled innocently. “I just wanted to cuddle.”

Eric stopped rambling, blinking at Juyeon. Oh.

Juyeon wrapped his arms around Eric’s waist and pulled him in for a kiss. Eyes closed, Eric pressed his body closer, melting under the spell of Juyeon’s touch. When they separated, Juyeon let himself flop onto his bed, patting the spot next to him for Eric to take.

They laid together for what felt like an hour, stealing kisses, but mostly just chatting comfortably. Eric’s head rested on Juyeon’s chest, their legs tangled on top of the covers. They had always been close, they had even shared a bed on numerous occasions in the past, but this time, the feeling was definitely different. Eric was so close to the boy he now knew liked him back, that same boy he found incredibly attractive, and he knew he could now do all those smallest things he’d always dreamed to be able to do. For instance, he could use a hand to feel the buffed surface of Juyeon’s chest, let his fingers travel down to the toned abs. He could wrap a hand around Juyeon’s muscly arm, he could playfully peck his jaw, discover how it was to kiss Juyeon’s stretched out neck and have his face slot right into the crook of his boyfriend’s neck, nose pressed gently against the skin.

Eric hadn’t realized he might have gotten a bit carried away, his lips abusing that one spot of soft skin below Juyeon’s jaw, and that Juyeon had long stopped talking. It took Eric a while to realize that Juyeon was dealing with his own internal conflict, accidentally caused by Eric, until he glanced down over their bodies and noticed the obvious lump stretching Juyeon’s pants. _That_ wasn’t there before.

Eric curiously tilted his head to look at Juyeon, who’s face was frozen in an ultimate attempt at self-control. “I’m- Baby, I’m sorry, I didn’t... I...” Juyeon was at loss for words, looking as embarrassed as he had ever been.

The younger smirked, and dived his head right back into Juyeon’s neck, running slow licking trails all up to his jaw, until he came up to his ear. “Something wrong, hyung-ie?” he teased.

Juyeon’s breath itched, only making Eric’s proud little smirk grow wider. Juyeon grabbed Eric’s wrist, finally making proper eye-contact with his boyfriend. Eric could see the fight going on beneath his eyes, so he leaned forward, sealing his lips with Juyeon’s. The older was frozen for a few seconds, and Eric whined impatiently. The audible plea seemed to click something into Juyeon, the older placing a hand behind Eric’s neck and pushing the younger down, deepening their kiss. Eric knowingly moaned into Juyeon’s mouth, and sneakily moved a hand down to Juyeon’s crotch. He pressed down on the bulge over the fabric of Juyeon’s jeans, earning a groan from the raven-haired.

Eric pushed back against Juyeon’s iron grip on his neck to separate their lips, Juyeon letting go as soon as he felt Eric struggling. Eric’s eyes met Juyeon’s, and the younger pouted. “Hyung-ie... Youngjae wants to have a taste.”

Eric’s words were enough to make Juyeon’s brain short-circuit. He stared back at the blonde’s innocent expression in shock. “Y-you...” he stuttered. “You don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with, baby”, he whispered, as gentle as he could.

Eric snickered at the way Juyeon was holding on so desperately to the last bits of self-control he could muster, his overprotectiveness showing in all the most obvious ways. The way Juyeon was, once again, putting Eric first above anything was making Eric’s heart jump in his chest.

Eric suddenly rolled his hips down onto Juyeon’s crotch, letting the older feel his own hard-on, and making the both of them let out breathy moans at the same time. “Did that feel uncomfortable?” Eric raised an eyebrow, eyes searching Juyeon’s for an answer.

And something in Juyeon seemed to snap at that, his eyes going from shock and worry over to lust. Juyeon grabbed Eric by the waist, hands climbing up under his shirt, until they came back down to tug at the bottom of it. “Off”, he demanded, forehead pressed against Eric’s.

The younger obliged, sudden blush all too visible on his cheeks at the command. He hastily tried to remove the item of clothing, but he was trying to be too quick, the fabric staying stuck at his arms. Juyeon chuckled softly, helping him take his shirt all the way off.

It wasn’t the first time Juyeon had ever seen Eric shirtless, but for some reason, the intimacy of the moment made Eric start to feel a little self-conscious. He knew how well built Juyeon was, how perfect the older’s body was under the thin fabric of his t-shirt, while he was just, well, just Eric. He scolded himself for never following his friends to the gym during all these years they’d offered him to.

Juyeon must have noticed Eric’s sudden change in demeanour, because the next thing Eric knew was that large hands were cupping his face, pulling him forward, closer to Juyeon. Their noses were brushing together when Eric finally managed to make his hesitating eyes focus on his boyfriend.

“You look beautiful, baby”, Juyeon whispered against Eric’s lips, sending Eric into a blushing mess.

Juyeon delicately pressed their lips together. He hoped he managed to communicate all his love to Eric through the kiss, and he was answered positively when Eric started moving again, climbing one leg over Juyeon’s thighs in order to sit on his lap. Eric broke the kiss, leaning the top of his head onto Juyeon’s forehead to look down, his nervous fingers fumbling to undo Juyeon’s jeans. Juyeon bit his bottom lip at the sight, and leaned forwards to start peppering Eric’s neck with loving kisses. Eric lost his grip on the jeans’ button at the movement, groaning in frustration as this was not going as quick as he’d hoped. Juyeon placed a hand on his upper arm, a silent reassurance that they had all the time in the world.

When Eric finally managed to completely unzip Juyeon’s pants, he propped himself onto his knees, leaving enough space for Juyeon to lift himself up and slide his pants and boxers down in one motion. His cock fully exposed, Juyeon winced as the cold air of the room hit him. Eric helped him bring his jeans down to his ankles, and crawled back up to Juyeon’s face, noses clashing together as he hastily bit down on Juyeon’s bottom lip to gain access to his mouth. The older ran his hands through the blonde hair, tugging at it impatiently, even though he tried to reason with himself that he should let Eric take the lead, give him the time to get ready. What he didn’t know was that Eric enjoyed definitely enjoyed the dominant presence Juyeon naturally had, even though Eric had been the one to start things.

Juyeon moved his hands down to hold Eric in place, gripping his hips with just enough strength to lift the boy up. He sat himself up properly, back against the wall, and he spread his legs just enough for Eric’s smaller body to fit in. Just as Eric was about to lower himself on the bed, Juyeon pulled him back for a quick kiss, before letting the younger position himself on all fours.

Eric was taking his sweet time, staring at Juyeon’s dick in apprehension and excitement, and positioning himself in between Juyeon’s legs. His boyfriend was already fully hard, making Eric’s own dick twitch in his jean shorts. He looked up at Juyeon, giving a cheeky smirk before bringing his face closer to Juyeon’s cock. Juyeon bit his lip, anticipation growing immensely, despite the small panic at the back of his mind at the thought that Eric shouldn’t feel forced to do this just because Juyeon hadn’t been able to stop himself from getting hard from just a bit of contact.

When Eric first wrapped a hand around his dick to guide the tip in between his lips, Juyeon almost forgot how to breathe. He couldn’t believe this was happening, his adorable and pretty boyfriend being so forward, the knowledge alone that it was _Eric_ about to do this making the situation a hundred times more arousing than with anyone else who had sucked him off.

Eric kept his eyes on Juyeon’s as he started by teasingly licking around the tip. He smirked internally at the effect he knew he was having on the older, feeling his dick twitch under his tongue, Juyeon’s ragged breaths coming to his ears like an encouragement. Eric parted his lips a little more, slowly taking the tip in between them and letting it rest there, not even past his teeth. He let his tongue lap at the pre-cum dripping from Juyeon, when the older suddenly bucked his hips forward, catching the both of them by surprise.

Eric pulled away, both hands coming to help balance himself by gripping Juyeon’s thighs. Juyeon’s cheeks were flushed red. He definitely hadn’t intended to do that.

“Can’t you wait, hyung?” Eric asked, feigning annoyance, but letting his voice carry an undertone of playfulness, as he didn’t want to worry Juyeon. He knew just how easy it was to flip that protective switch in his boyfriend’s mind.

“They always say _you’re_ the patient one in the relationship. You must have so much patience to be able to date someone like me, hmm, hyung-ie?” He smirked, swallowing the tip of Juyeon’s dick again, still not going nearly as far down as Juyeon needed, making Juyeon moan in desperation. “Not so patient now, are you?”

Juyeon was mesmerized at the cockiness in Eric’s voice. Eric was being so bratty, and that was making him way more turned on than he would have expected, because Eric was like this _every day_ , why was it so different now that he was half-naked with his lips red and abused barely centimeters from his cock?

Without warning, he took Juyeon’s dick in as deep as he could, feeling the tip hit the back of his throat, drawing a long moan from Juyeon. He tried his best to relax his entire body, closing his eyes for a second to adjust to the feeling. It was overwhelming both physically and mentally, the realization and the sensation of being full of _Juyeon_ enough to send him on the edge, and the fact that Juyeon was doing his best being so patient with him, _for_ him was to be comfortable, was making his head dizzy, he loved it.

Eric started moving, and Juyeon immediately let out a trembling moan. Eric felt his boyfriend’s hands come grip at his hair, tugging gently to set a pace that was comfortable, but faster than Eric’s teasing side would have liked. Nonetheless, he complied, more than happy to be able to pleasure Juyeon.

In the living room, Sunwoo and Haknyeon had taken more than just a few minutes to even make a move. They had heard Eric and Juyeon running from one room to another, and still hadn’t moved, staring at each other with their eyes communicating the pain that they had been going through in the past days.

Sunwoo was the first to move, nearly fifteen minutes after Haknyeon had entered the apartment. He silently slid to one side of the couch, leaving enough space on the other side for Haknyeon to come sit at a comfortable distance. The older sat down carefully, his eyes not leaving Sunwoo’s.

“I’m sorry”, Sunwoo blurted out, looking away for the first time.

Conflicted feelings rushed through Haknyeon all at the same time. Of course, he knew Sunwoo had only wanted to tease him, that’s how the younger naturally was, after all. Still, the topic he had chosen for his joke had hit Haknyeon all in the wrong places, and had hurt more than a stupid joke should have. He kept replaying Sunwoo’s words in his mind every night, and they were now the soundtrack to his worst nightmares, ones he’d woken up to alone, without Sunwoo next to him to cuddle him back to sleep. He knew the younger hadn’t meant it, of course, but it had still hurt him. And as much as he was hurt, he also knew he had hurt the younger while trying to defend himself, too.

“I didn’t mean what I said”, Haknyeon bit his lips, fiddling with his fingers. “I hope you know that.”

Sunwoo nodded, looking down at his knees. “I didn’t mean what I said either. Not a single word of it.”

Haknyeon stayed silent. Their heated argument from the other night played on repeat in his mind, more hurtful the next time than the previous. From _You’re such a good cleaner, my pretty housewife boyfriend_ , said with a kissy pout just as Haknyeon was wiping the dry cum off of Sunwoo’s chest, all the way to _Good luck trying to pay your fucking bills without me,_ yelled angrily before Sunwoo had slammed their bedroom door behind him to go settle onto the couch for the night.

“I know I went too far”, Sunwoo continued, eyes never leaving his knees. “That’s not what I think of you, at all. You’re so young, Hak, and I know it’s only a matter of time before you find your path. And I want to be the one to help you find your way.”

Haknyeon was getting teary-eyed. He knew everything that Sunwoo was saying already, he knew Sunwoo was the most supportive boyfriend he could have ever wished for, his anchor, his number one supporter, but hearing the words from the younger himself was giving him a reassurance he knew he needed.

“I’m sorry I called you a failure”, Haknyeon spoke up next, cringing at his own choice of word. It definitely had been thrown out in the anger of the moment, the ugliness of it making him flinch in guilt. “I know your work with Jacob hyung is doing so well already, and I’ve heard your stuff. I know you’ll go far. I was hurt when I insulted you, I didn’t mean it. Not a single word, Sunwoo.”

He looked over at Sunwoo. The red-haired was still glancing down at his knees, but Haknyeon didn’t miss how he quickly brought a hand to his face to wipe his tears, then pretending as if he was simply fixing his hair.

“Baby”, Haknyeon called, voice breaking. “Can I hug you?”

Sunwoo finally looked up, watery eyes meeting Haknyeon’s. Wordlessly, he slid closer to Haknyeon, wrapping the older into a tight embrace and burying his head into Haknyeon’s shoulder. Haknyeon fit just right into the taller boy’s embrace, and they had both missed the feeling of hugging each other close.

“I won’t joke about it anymore, I promise”, Sunwoo mumbled against Haknyeon’s shoulder. “I’ll never use that word again, ever. I love you so much, baby.”

Haknyeon squeezed him tighter, his own head resting onto Sunwoo’s shoulder. “I love you too, Sun”, he whispered, closing his eyes to focus on the feeling of Sunwoo in his arms. “Let’s not fight over stupid things anymore, okay?”

Sunwoo scoffed, shaking his head in the crook of Haknyeon’s neck. “It’s not stupid if it hurt you that much, Hak.”

“No, I have to learn how to take a joke”, Haknyeon immediately countered. “I’m also at fault, I said horrible things right after just your little joke that wasn’t even trying to attack me. I reacted in the worst way possible.”

Sunwoo sighed, and Haknyeon felt the hold around him tighten. They had both made mistakes, but neither of them was pulling away. They would be okay.

“Can I come back home?” Sunwoo suddenly broke the silence, even though, to Haknyeon, his question didn’t even need to be asked. “Changmin hyung’s room is giving me the creeps.”

Haknyeon chuckled at the comment, bringing a hand up to run it through Sunwoo’s hair. “I shouldn’t have let you leave in the first place. I’m sorry.”

“Stop saying you’re sorry.”

“Sorry–”

“Haknyeon!” Sunwoo pulled apart from their embrace, eyes crinkled from a held back laughter. Haknyeon blushed in embarrassment, but quickly leaned forward to peck Sunwoo’s lips.

“I missed you.” Haknyeon smiled.

“I missed you too, handsome.”

Haknyeon blushed even more. The two of them sat up and moved closer until Haknyeon was throwing his legs over Sunwoo’s, and Sunwoo wrapped an arm around Haknyeon’s waist. They stared at each other for a while, who knows how long. Sunwoo was so glad to have Haknyeon back, thankful that their relationship hadn’t been ruined by his fault. Now that he thought about it, they really had made such a huge deal out of petty words and empty insults. It was only their first fight, after all, and he hoped they’d learn from it to grow even closer in the future. The possibility of growing old with anyone other than Haknyeon had never crossed his mind.

It was slightly later when Sunwoo’s stomach suddenly grumbled. Haknyeon straightened himself up in surprise, adorable laugh filling up Sunwoo’s ears.

“What about we head home and order some takeaway?” Haknyeon offered, poking at Sunwoo’s empty stomach.

Sunwoo swatted his hand away, a big grin on his face. “Only if we order from that Chinese place we tried last time.”

Haknyeon’s smile grew bigger. “You mean the one I said was my new favourite delivery service?”

Sunwoo smiled innocently. “Oh, did you say that?”

They stared lovingly at each other, until they ended up kissing again. And Sunwoo’s stomach separated them again, or more like, Haknyeon’s reaction to it did. He was laughing at the younger.

“That’s a sign we need to go”, he declared between two laughs.

Sunwoo nodded, embarrassed but also laughing quietly. “Alright, let’s just go tell Eric we’re leaving.”

Haknyeon nodded, and sprung to his feet. He pulled Sunwoo with him, and they held hands all the way over to Juyeon’s room, where they simultaneously knocked on the door using their joined hands.

No sound could be heard from inside the room, and for a second Sunwoo really thought there was a chance it might be empty. But after a short moment, they heard some shuffling, and messy footsteps as if someone was scrambling to get to the door.

The door opened seconds later, Eric standing in the entrance. Sunwoo automatically raised an eyebrow at his appearance; his hair was messy, his lips swollen and his shirt barely put on properly, wrinkles all over it. He tried to peek behind Eric’s shoulder, but the room was too dark for him to see anything.

At the sight of Sunwoo and Haknyeon, Eric’s face lit up. “I guess it went well?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning into the door frame.

Sunwoo and Haknyeon both nodded at the same time. “We just came to tell you we’re going home.” Haknyeon spoke up. “Thank you for taking care of Sunwoo, by the way.”

Eric grinned. “It was my pleasure, but I’m glad to be returning him to you. He’s such a pain in the ass to have around here.”

“You’re right on that!”

“Hey!” Sunwoo frowned. “I’ll show you pain in the ass–”

He went to playfully hit Haknyeon on the arm, but the older easily dodged his balled fist. He chuckled, then turned back to Eric.

“Anyway, we’ll leave you to, uh- whatever you were doing.”

Sunwoo gave Eric a knowing look. “Yeah, whatever _that_ might be.”

Eric’s face flushed, and he hushed his friends away, slamming the door behind them. His cheeks were burning in embarrassment. He lightly hit the back of his head against the door, closing his eyes for a second. Juyeon slowly came out of his hiding under his bed covers. He watched curiously as Eric repeatedly bumped his head against the door.

“Careful there, baby”, he chuckled.

Eric’s eyes flew open, and his vision was met with the entirety of Juyeon’s half-naked glory. That did nothing to ease the burn on his cheeks. Their moment had been ruined, and he didn’t know how to act around the older boy anymore.

Juyeon seemed to notice his hesitation. He sat at the edge of the bed, stretching out a hand towards Eric for the younger to grab. Once he did, shyly but surely, Juyeon pulled him towards him, trapping him in between his bare legs. A dark – wet – spot on Eric’s shorts caught his attention when Eric’s oversized shirt shifted higher. Now Juyeon felt even worse, not only had they been interrupted before he could have gotten his own release, Eric had been enjoying it, too, clearly.

“Oh, baby”, he spoke out softly, “were you excited too?” he teased.

Eric hid his face in his hands, nodding vigorously. Juyeon grinned at his boyfriend’s sudden shyness, an interesting contrast with the overwhelming confidence he’d displayed earlier.

“I’m sorry hyung”, Eric quickly mumbled. “I know this was so spontaneous, and I couldn’t even make you cum.”

Juyeon sighed. He grabbed Eric’s wrist, tearing the boy’s hands away from his face. Eric made a noise of protest, but let Juyeon intertwine their fingers. Juyeon locked eyes with Eric, squeezing both his hands in his. “It’s okay, baby, you were doing good. Hyung enjoyed it a lot.”

Eric opened his mouth to protest, but Juyeon gave him a look that made his lips shut together into a pout.

“I’m already looking forward to next time”, Juyeon said, smirking at the blush painting Eric’s cheeks. He brought one pair of their hands up to kiss the back of Eric’s. “For now, we should get you some clean clothes, okay?” he said, gesturing at the spot at the front of Eric’s jeans.

Half an hour later, they were back in bed, cuddling just like they had been earlier, this time their hair smelling of fresh shampoo and still a little damp from their showers – separate ones, they weren’t at the stage of showering together yet, especially after how embarrassed Eric had felt at being interrupted by his best friend during his first ever attempt at sucking dick.

Juyeon had lent Eric some of his own underwear to spend the night, and he’d gone and dressed himself in some clean briefs and jogger pants. Eric shied away at the sight of his half naked body, looking down at his own flat tummy. When asking Juyeon for just some clean underwear only – just like what he slept in at home – he hadn’t considered the fact that his overly handsome boyfriend would be sleeping right next to him, making him grow self-conscious over his unfit body.

“Hyung”, he asked, eyes avoiding Juyeon.

The older hummed, then turning his head towards Eric.

“I just... could you lend me some clothes too?” he asked.

Juyeon was on his feet again in seconds. He didn’t look much into the sudden request, grabbing a t-shirt and some comfy pants from his wardrobe and tossing them over to Eric. The younger put the shirt over his head before Juyeon was even back next to him, then sliding the pants over his legs. Juyeon only then noticed the shy look on his boyfriend’s face. He frowned, tilting his head.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Eric bit his lip. “Nothing, nothing.”

“It’s obviously not ‘nothing’, Youngjae-ah.” Juyeon replied softly, poking Eric’s cheek with a finger. “Tell me”, he pouted, worried.

Eric muted himself, lips sealed tight together as he threw himself face down onto a pillow. Juyeon almost cooed at his behaviour, but opted to just lay down on his back next to Eric instead.

“Youngjae”, he whined, carding a hand through the younger’s hair. There was clearly something bothering the younger, and he didn’t know what it was. A slight panic rose in his chest at the thought it might have been something he had done earlier. Did he make the younger uncomfortable?

“I’m embarrassed”, came Eric’s muffled voice.

Juyeon turned onto his side, towards Eric. “About what?”

Eric whined loudly, clearly not wanting to voice out his thoughts, but he knew Juyeon wouldn’t leave him alone until he did.

“It’s just, I can’t believe you look _this_ good”, Eric groaned reluctantly. “I can’t look at myself next to you, it’s just, you look like a fucking Greek god and I’m just... me.”

Hence the sudden request for some clothes to cover his body, Juyeon suddenly realized. He attempted to push Eric onto his back, but Eric was resisting, trying to hide in embarrassment for as long as he could by burying his head into the pillow he was clutching at for dear life. Juyeon changed tactics, tickling Eric on his sides, using the distraction to finally make Eric turn around towards him.

“You’re the prettiest to me, Youngjae”, he whispered. “I mean it. I find you attractive in every single way. I’ve never felt this good with anyone else before.”

Eric rolled his eyes, chuckling happily. “Please, someone take cheesy Juyeon out of this house. It’s scary.”

Juyeon looked at Eric with the widest dumb-loving smile. “You’re beautiful.”

“Ew, but, you too.” Eric laughed, pecking Juyeon on the cheek.


	14. opposite day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eric manages to convince everyone that it's opposite day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter written on a caffeine rush and posted past midnight? Yes!
> 
> Welcome back to this mess of a story, and thank you for sticking by, I hope you like this one~

Eric had been staying at Juyeon’s apartment for a few days – a week? – already. They’d easily fallen into the routine of seeing each other all the time. It was no secret that Eric was already clingy to Juyeon as it was, and that Juyeon loved the attention more than anything in the world, and this week of living together had only solidified this part of their dynamic, to the great displeasure of Juyeon’s roommate, Jaehyun, and of all of their friends who would always see them together whenever they hung out.

It was a morning just like all the previous ones, except this time, instead of getting to lazily wake up to a cuddly Eric, Juyeon woke up to the sound of the alarm he’d set on his phone. He tiredly rubbed a hand over his eyes, and stretched out an arm to his bedside table to turn the alarm off. Snuggled against his chest, Eric hadn’t moved an inch. They were scheduled to open the restaurant together, in less than an hour, but Juyeon still took a few seconds to play with Eric’s hair, taking in the younger’s peaceful appearance, before finally attempting to wake him up. _Attempting_.

It was a real hassle to get Eric out of his sleep, Juyeon had figured as much years ago. Over the course of the week, he had almost forgotten about it, their lazy mornings giving Eric plenty of time to wake up by himself, comfortably and at his own pace. Had it been only up to Juyeon, he’d let the younger sleep like this, curled up against him, for as long as he wanted, but that wouldn’t work today. They had to get to Flower Snack.

Juyeon’s fingers moved from Eric’s hair to his right ear, gently tickling behind it. Eric scrunched his nose, shuffled a little and nuzzled his face closer against Juyeon’s chest. A small smile tug at Juyeon’s lips.

“Youngjae-ah...” he called, but he definitely knew that the volume of his voice alone wouldn’t be enough.

Reluctantly, he removed himself from under Eric. He delicately laid the boy down on the mattress and sat up beside him. Eric was still sleeping like a baby.

Juyeon didn’t want to cause the younger to have a heart attack, but he was also starting to run out of time to use of the soft ways he could think of to possibly bring Eric awake. Pulling the covers from Eric’s body in one swift motion, he watched expectantly for a reaction. Eric barely whined in his sleep, and scooted closer to where Juyeon’s body had been laying a few seconds ago.

Juyeon huffed, half annoyed, half overwhelmed by how cute Eric was. As if Eric himself wasn’t enough, seeing the younger wearing _his_ clothes, oversized on his smaller body, that was the icing on the cake. The black t-shirt Juyeon had lent Eric was engulfing his upper body, and the pair of gray joggers was hanging low on his narrow hips.

Without giving it much thought, Juyeon’s hands reached for Eric’s thighs, settling them on either side of his waist. Eric let out a little confused noise, eyes blinking slowly. Juyeon sneaked an arm under Eric, supporting the boy’s neck with his other hand, and lifted the boy up, guiding his head onto his shoulder. Juyeon heard some more confused and whiny noises coming from the younger. Knowing Eric had started gaining his senses, Juyeon squeezed lightly at his thighs.

“Hang on tight, baby” Juyeon warned, and stood up on his feet.

Eric yelped, immediately catching a grip around Juyeon’s shoulders.

“Good morning”, Juyeon grinned.

Eric’s eyes were now wide-opened from the surprise, his cheeks slightly puffy from the long night sleep and his fluffy hair all over the place. Juyeon leaned his head to peck the younger’s nose, and proceeded to walk out of the room. Eric hung onto Juyeon for dear life, a sudden rush of energy flowing through his body that was abruptly awaking from the sudden effort.

Juyeon walked them into the dining room, still dark from the lack of natural light. It was early in the morning, and the sun hadn’t risen up yet. Juyeon sat Eric down on a chair, briefly ruffling his hair before going to make them breakfast.

They ended up making it to the restaurant on time. Not that it would have mattered, since they were the ones opening it, and no one else would have known, nor cared, had they been late. But being on time gave them plenty of time to get ready, and have a little bit of fun at the same time.

Juyeon started blasting their playlist through the speakers, maybe a bit too loud for how early it was, and they got to work, each in their own areas of the restaurant. He smiled fondly when he caught sight of Eric absentmindedly head-banging to the song that was playing, while mopping the floor.

All tasks were finished almost fifteen minutes before they’d have to let their first customers in, Eric coming to help Juyeon once he had been done with the dining room. With their spare time, they decided to sit on the stools at the drinks station, hidden from the prying eyes of passers-by on the street, but still being close enough to react if someone tried to break in – or, well, come into the shop before the official opening.

They faced each other, knees touching and hands intertwined somewhere in between, settling into comfortable chatter.

“Do you think I would be good at your job?” Eric suddenly asked, head tilted in curiosity.

Juyeon didn’t even have to think twice before he made a face that had Eric laughing in disbelief. Soon, the sound made Juyeon break out of his doubting expression to laugh along, before he quickly tried to correct himself.

“Well... uh... you know how to cook basic stuff. You’d manage”, he nodded, as if he was trying to convince himself more than Eric.

“I think you’d be good at my job though”, Eric thought out loud. “You’re good at being nice to people for no reason.”

“Thank you?” Juyeon replied, a bit confused. Eric giggled at his reaction.

“I mean, I’m good at customer service, but I’m not really attentive to people, you know? Sometimes I have to ask people to repeat themselves because I was too busy making jokes to them to actually listen. I think you’d be a bit more serious than I am, but it would be way more effective.”

Eric paused, giving Juyeon a look. The older frowned, leaning backwards on his stool. “What?” he asked with a careful frown.

“Hyung!” Eric exclaimed, an excited smile suddenly lighting up his face. “What about we switch roles for today? Oh my god, please! It would be so much fun!”

Juyeon would have immediately said no, if it wasn’t for the bright expression on Eric’s face as he enthusiastically started rambling more and more about his idea. Juyeon was perfectly fine with being a cook and leaving the “people stuff” to Eric and the other guys. Still, in the moment, he couldn’t bring himself to break Eric’s happy bubble.

“Sure”, he heard himself speak up before he could hold it back.

Eric’s eyes sparkled at the positive response. He jumped up, running in between Juyeon’s legs to kiss his boyfriend on the lips, hands cupping the older’s face. Juyeon was too shocked to even close his eyes, instead staring frozen at Eric’s closed ones. Juyeon thought the younger’s reaction was a bit much for how little Juyeon had actually done, but this was perhaps one of the most endearing things about Eric; his ability to get so easily excited about the smallest things, like Juyeon had just handed him the moon on a silver platter. Not that Juyeon wouldn’t do everything in his power to give Eric the world, but it was captivating just how passionate Eric’s reactions were to Juyeon doing, from his own perspective, the absolute bare minimum.

A loud coughing sound made Eric yank himself off Juyeon, spinning around on his feet. Sangyeon had arrived at the restaurant, a coffee mug in hand and his bag and keys balanced in the other. He looked at them awkwardly.

“Good morning”, Juyeon greeted hesitantly, cheeks reddening from embarrassment.

Eric was the first one to shake off the uneasy feeling to grab at Sangyeon’s arm.

“Hyung! We’ve had an idea!”

Sangyeon curiously raised an eyebrow. “Do I really want to hear it?” he asked, cautiously exchanging a look with Juyeon. The latter simply shrugged.

“Of course!” Eric immediately exclaimed. “I just thought it would be fun, if, like, I took Juyeon’s place in the kitchen today, and Juyeon worked as a waiter instead of me. Oh no, wait.”

Eric’s excited grin turned into a larger one. “What about everyone switches for the day?”

Sangyeon was taken aback by the idea. “I don’t... I don’t think...” he started, but Eric interrupted him.

“Please, hyung! Please please please!”

Eric gave his best pouty look. Sangyeon felt his will falter, and he stuttered. “M-most of the guys won’t be so excited at the idea, Eric”, he tried to reason, sending Juyeon a panicked look.

Eric shook his head. “It’s just for one day! I’m sure they’ll love it, it will be fun!”

“Well... if you manage to convince Hyunjoon and Chanhee when they get here, I don’t see why we couldn’t give it a try”, Sangyeon smiled gently, before Eric hug-attacked him, nearly making him drop his coffee.

“Thank you thank you thank y–”

“Not that I care, but what is this about?”

The three boys looked around to lay their eyes on Hyunjoon, hoodie over his head and glasses hiding his tired eyes. He looked amused, at least, which let them know he was in a good mood, despite looking exhausted.

“Joonie”, Eric called, pleading all too audible in his voice, “would you mind working in the kitchens today?”

Hyunjoon looked at Sangyeon and Juyeon in confusion, before returning to Eric. “Uh, yeah, sure.”

Sangyeon chuckled, and made his way past the little group to lock himself in his office. Hyunjoon followed behind, but continued walking until he reached the break room.

When Chanhee arrived, Eric had a harder time convincing the older to agree to his plan. Eric’s puppy look and pleading had nothing on him. Chanhee hated customers, and he would never willingly spend an entire work shift in the dining room. No way.

“I’m not doing it”, Chanhee was categorical, the look in his eyes not leaving any room to argue.

Juyeon looked back at Eric, who was at loss for words. Disappointment was all too evident in the way his mouth hung open, his shoulders slouched in defeat.

Chanhee gave him an unapologetic glance, and walked past them.

Juyeon chuckled to his boyfriend, running a comforting hand along his arm. “It’s _Chanhee_ , what did you expect?”

The sentence was spoken a bit too loud, making Chanhee stop dead in his tracks and flip back towards them. “What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, arms crossed over his chest.

Juyeon glanced at Eric, sad and empty of all the beautiful energy he radiated earlier, and then back at Chanhee, slightly annoyed yet unknowingly giving Juyeon a second chance at getting him to crack and give in to Eric’s idea. “Well, you’re just so predictable”, Juyeon stated, knowing it would poke right into the pink-haired’s ego.

As he expected, Chanhee huffed. “I’m not!”

Juyeon and Eric both stared back at him, similarly unimpressed looks on their faces.

Chanhee sighed in annoyance. “Fine, I’ll do it!” He threw his hands up in the air, and walked off to the break room.

Eric turned towards Juyeon. Juyeon’s heart did a flip when he noticed Eric’s face was glowing again, his lips curled up in a cute smile. Eric took a step forward to wrap his arms around Juyeon, who was still sitting down.

“Thank you so much!” he shout-whispered, pecking Juyeon’s lips repeatedly.

Juyeon almost blushed, happy that he could help his boyfriend, and stunned at the realization that there really wasn’t much he wasn’t willing to do for Eric.

The restaurant opened right on time, and since there weren’t many customers at this early time, Juyeon had some time to brief Eric through what exactly his job consisted of, while Chanhee was reluctantly giving Hyunjoon a run through of his own tasks. Sangyeon was taking care of paper work in his office, giving his friends complete blind trust to make sure the day would go well.

When the clock stroked eleven, the restaurant had gotten significantly busier. Jacob, Jaehyun, and Sunwoo had arrived as well, and it wasn’t difficult for Eric to get them to agree to the new concept, mostly because the others had already agreed, so they just followed. Refusal wasn’t much of a choice anyway, with the conspicuous banner Eric had drawn in two minutes and hung at the back of the restaurant, indicating “Opposite day!!” in bright, pink letters.

Sunwoo took advantage of his newly appointed spot at the bar station – there were too many new waiters in the shop for him to also leave the kitchen– and chose to help out mostly in the kitchens, to Eric’s utmost satisfaction.

“Sunwoo, I’ll take two more iced teas” Eric shouted at the red-haired.

Sunwoo groaned, turning towards Eric, and Hyunjoon who was on the other side of the room.

“Joon, why did you let _him_ have Chanhee’s job?” Sunwoo complained.

“Because I don’t have the energy to be yelling like that all the time”, Hyunjoon snickered.

“What about you, Jacob hyung?” Sunwoo asked, turning his gaze towards the boy who was silently getting started over at Sunwoo’s original work area.

“It was Eric’s idea to do this, the least we can do is let him have the difficult job”, Jacob replied with a laugh.

“Two sets of cold ramen noodles, Hyunjoon!” Eric interrupted the discussion. “And where’s my bibimbap?”

“On the way!” Hyunjoon replied cheerfully.

Sunwoo quickly finished preparing the iced teas Eric had asked for. He thought of a plan to mess around with his best friend, and smiled devilishly to himself as he brought the drinks to the younger boy. Eric searched around a bit, and then silently pointed at a tray for Sunwoo to place them on.

“Don’t forget you’re supposed to be washing up the dishes too”, Eric reminded him as he stirred the noodles in a pot.

“Jeez, when did you get so bossy?” Sunwoo said teasingly.

Eric turned around, big grin on. “It’s opposite day, Sunwoo! Which means I have to become what I’m not. So, I’m trying to be bossy. Like Chanhee hyung.”

Sunwoo was about to reply, when Jaehyun appeared in front of him, holding a tray still filled with food. He was visibly confused.

“Eric-ah, where did you say this one was going?” he asked.

Eric snapped his head up towards Jaehyun, and down at the counter where order slips were neatly placed in order. “I already crossed it off, hyung!” Eric protested. “You’re confusing me!”

Jaehyun laughed sheepishly. “Sorry, I’m new to this.”

“So am I”, Eric glared at him, “and you don’t see _me_ making mistakes.”

Jaehyun exchanged an even more confused look with Sunwoo, who couldn’t help but laugh at the older’s shocked expression. Sunwoo made a vague gesture of the hand. “It’s his Chanhee concept.”

“Table 7”, Eric cut in.

“Thanks boss!” Jaehyun chuckled, reaching a hand to ruffle Eric’s hair.

Eric grumbled under his breath, and stared at Jaehyun to make sure the older was heading towards the correct table this time. Sunwoo leaned casually onto the lower counter.

“Okay”, he spoke up, “so since it’s opposite day, does that mean we’re enemies now?” Sunwoo asked with a smirk.

Eric definitely hadn’t thought about that, but hearing the words come out of Sunwoo’s mouth stirred up a little panic in him. “No, that’s not—”

“Ugh, shut up, I can’t stand hearing your voice”, Sunwoo interrupted him, eyes rolling, but he couldn’t hide the smile forming on his lips at the sight of Eric’s panicked expression.

“Sun!” Eric exclaimed, lightly shoving the older.

Sunwoo crossed his arms over his chest, putting on a disgusted face. “Ew, don’t touch me, idiot. I can’t believe I’m working with someone like you. I should punch you for being so annoying—”

“Stop that!” Eric whined, pouting.

Sunwoo looked at him with a challenging look. “So, it’s opposite day, but we’re not enemies?” He faked an offended face. “What does that make us on normal days?”

Eric sighed in frustration. “Okay, you win, alright, it’s not _really_ opposite day, more like just for work. Happy?”

Sunwoo smirked. “Then does that mean you can stop being bossy?”

Eric made an annoyed face. Sunwoo kept his smug face for a few seconds, before breaking into laughter. Eric waved him off, and Sunwoo scurried over to the back of the restaurant to actually clean the dishes Eric had asked him to.

In the back of the kitchen, Jacob was struggling with making the ramen. He had only managed to get a couple of orders out, with absolutely no idea if he’d done them right. He’d worked at Flower Snack for months now, why couldn’t he prepare the restaurant’s most simple menu?

Too prideful to ask for help, he’d kept his problems to himself. The younger boys’ banter was only background noise to his ears, as his entire attention was turned to the ramen that didn’t seem to be cooking fast enough, and on the unfamiliar ingredients in front of him.

A hand on his shoulder made him jump in surprise, but he relaxed at the sight of his boyfriend, standing next to him with his own apron tied to his waist, and the sleeves of his sweater already rolled up. Sangyeon gave him a gentle smile. “Need help?”

Jacob felt an immense wave of relief at the words. Being a burden to others was always a fear at the back of his mind, stopping him from going to his friends for help, but the fact that it was _Sangyeon_ offering to help him was the saving grace to get him out of his struggling. “Please”, he pouted in defeat.

Sangyeon chuckled, and pressed a soft kiss to Jacob’s cheek. Jacob blushed, but leaned into Sangyeon, making the older wrap his muscly arms around him, leaning his chin on the younger’s shoulder.

“Baby, that’s not helping”, Jacob protested half-heartedly.

Sangyeon snickered, taking Jacob’s right wrist in his hand. “I’m teaching you.”

He brought Jacob’s hand to make him grab a spoon from the counter. Right before Jacob’s fingers could close in on the object, Sangyeon pulled his hand up, placing a quick kiss on the back of it. Jacob blushed even more, turning around in Sangyeon’s arms. Their faces were only inches apart, and Jacob had to blink a few times at how handsome his boyfriend looked from up close, even with the annoyingly smug smile he had at the moment.

“This isn’t really productive”, Jacob said, but Sangyeon’s face only turned into a bigger grin.

“ _I don’t care_ ”, he taunted in a broken English accent.

Jacob playfully rolled his eyes, before closing in on the last few centimeters in between them to seal his lips with Sangyeon, biting down on the lower one as a warning. He heard Sangyeon giggle against his mouth, and although his eyes were closed, he could perfectly picture the satisfied glint in his boyfriend’s eyes.

“Okay, real cute, but I actually need the ramen _today_ ”, Hyunjoon’s voice interrupted them from where he was working not so far away from the couple.

They were both quick to pull away, but went back to their embrace, Sangyeon resting his chin on Jacob’s shoulder again, his chest flush against Jacob’s back, and they started making ramen together.

It didn’t take long for Sunwoo to be back from the back store and next to Eric, helping him cook some of the many tteokbokki orders. The kitchen was buzzing in activity, as it was close to the peak of dinner time and orders kept coming in, both from the seated area and the takeaway counter Chanhee was working at with the word “regrets” painted across his forehead.

Suddenly, a loud groan was audible from the back of the kitchen. Sunwoo, Eric and Hyunjoon all stopped working to look at Sangyeon, who was looking at something on his phone. Jacob was peaking over his shoulder, his eyes widening slightly as he read the screen.

“What is it?” Hyunjoon asked.

“Kevin called in sick”, Sangyeon’s forehead was frowned in worry. “Well, texted, but, same thing.”

Sangyeon turned back to Jacob, using his free hand to take one of Jacob’s. “Are you sure you don’t want to go check up on him?”

Jacob quickly shook his head. “It’s okay, Changmin is with him.”

“Oh, so Changmin _can_ deal with it, after all.” This time, Sangyeon sounded less worried than he sounded irritated. Eric was starting to feel a little uncomfortable, as if this wasn’t a conversation he should be listening to.

“Hyung”, Jacob said, a warning tone to his voice.

Sangyeon let Jacob’s hand drop. “No, I get it.”

“Don’t be like that, please”, Jacob brought his lower lip in between his teeth, bringing his hand back to take Sangyeon’s.

Eric watched, not knowing what to do, as Sangyeon and Jacob engaged into a staring contest, both looking hurt and angry at the same time. Sunwoo cleared his throat from next to Eric.

“Sangyeon hyung”, he called. “You should let Eric find a replacement for Kevin hyung.”

Eric turned to his best friend. “Why me? That’s not my job”, he protested.

Sunwoo glanced at Sangyeon and Jacob, then back at Eric, a smirk on his face. “Opposite day, Eric. That makes _you_ in charge of the restaurant.”

“Wait, I didn’t agree to this”, Sangyeon’s panicked voice cut in.

“Don’t worry hyung”, Sunwoo laughed. “I’m not ready to be working anywhere with Eric as the boss _anytime_ soon. But you should still let him take care of this.”

Sunwoo paused, staring at Eric who was frozen in surprise. “Unless you don’t think you can do it”, Sunwoo challenged.

“I can do it!” Eric immediately bit back. “Finding a replacement for Kevin hyung. Piece of cake!” he exclaimed nonchalantly, trying to make himself sound more confident than he really was.

Sangyeon’s gaze flickered between Sunwoo and Eric. He exchanged a knowing look with Sunwoo, before setting his eyes on Eric. “Perfect, then. Kevin was meant to come in at 1, so that gives you...” he glanced at his phone, “ten minutes to find someone.”

Eric shrieked at that, making Sunwoo burst into laughter from besides him. Eric glared at him, pushing him back in annoyance.

“Okay, so, if Eric’s taking care of it, I guess I don’t have any reason to stay in the kitchen anymore”, Sangyeon’s voice made Sunwoo stop laughing. Him, Eric and Hyunjoon all looked as Sangyeon left the room to go and lock himself into his office once again. Jacob now had his back turned to them, silently working on the noodles by himself.

Hyunjoon was the first one to move again, turning away from Jacob with a warning look for the other two. They all had a silent exchange, deciding to not bring up what had just happened for the time being. Hyunjoon leaned back onto the counter behind him, gesturing at Eric. “Call Younghoon hyung. He’ll do it.”

Eric’s eyes lit up in realization. Younghoon, always so willing to help out others in need. Of course he would do it.

Eric would always remember that time, during high school, when he had forgotten to bring his wallet to school, and Younghoon hadn’t even blinked before buying him lunch using his own money, and Eric’s favourite meal at that. Despite knowing Younghoon had a lot of money, the gesture had warmed Eric’s heart and made him realize how little Younghoon actually spent of that money on himself, instead using it to spoil his friends every once in a while, maybe a lot more often then they realized.

Eric was convinced Younghoon was an angel sent from above, and that was precisely why he was certain the older would accept to work Kevin’s shift. That, and the fact that Younghoon had been taking everyone’s unwanted shifts recently, without ever complaining about it.

There was still something off about the way Younghoon seemed to always be at the restaurant, especially since the beginning of the summer. But Eric was in a rush to find a replacement for Kevin, and his mind did not have the time to think about that.

A few minutes later, it was confirmed that Younghoon was heading to the restaurant to take over Kevin’s shift. Jacob had mysteriously disappeared into the office, and the youngest three in the restaurant were doing their best to cook everything on time and not mess up any order.

Sunwoo was back from the drink station next to Eric, helping him with organizing the trays in order with the paper slips and mark off what they’d served already. He was crossing off all the drinks he knew he had prepared already, not thinking much, when the sunlight shining on his face was suddenly blocked, making Sunwoo look up to see that Juyeon had appeared on the other side of the counter.

The new waiter was tall, and Sunwoo almost laughed at how funny the comparison with the usual waiters was; at the exception of Hyunjoon, the serving team boys were all shorter than their group average, Sunwoo was used to seeing his shorter friends where Juyeon was now standing. Seeing a tall figure in front of him instead was definitely an unusual sight.

Juyeon looked for Eric, his order slip in his hands. He couldn’t find him, because Eric was crouched below the cooking counter, rummaging through the clean pans on the hidden shelf to find the one he needed. When he finally got a grip on it, he slammed it on the counter, and sprung to his feet with a victorious sound. His face lit up in surprise when he saw Juyeon already standing there.

“Oh, hello, _hyung-ie_ ”, he greeted, flashing an innocent smile at his boyfriend.

Sunwoo noticed Juyeon’s face flushing, and he frowned. Whatever that was, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

“T-table five wanted to add this to their order”.

Sunwoo’s eyes widened in shock as he heard Juyeon s _tuttering_. Juyeon handed the paper slip to Eric, and Sunwoo squinted at them, noticing the way Juyeon suddenly looked unsure of himself, something that really didn’t happen often. Eric took the paper in one snappy motion, seemingly unaffected by Juyeon’s little slip up, and he slammed the paper down on the tray for table five.

Sunwoo had a peek at it, and noticed that it was an order of two fruit smoothies. He hurried away from the couple on the excuse that he had the drinks to make. Well, he didn’t tell them that, just thought it really loud and hoped they wouldn’t catch on how weirded out he was by their interaction.

They in fact didn’t even notice Sunwoo sneaking away. Inside Juyeon’s head was pure chaos. After messing around with Eric a few times over the past week, Juyeon had quickly learned many things, one of them being that Eric _loved_ to tease just as much as he loved to be ruined in return, and him calling Juyeon as _hyung-ie_ with that tone he used was usually the indicator he’d slipped into his teasing mood, and that it was okay for Juyeon to be teasing him back if he wanted. However, for Eric to say it in the open space of the restaurant wasn’t exactly something Juyeon had deemed possible, and it sent his mind into a turmoil of _what does this mean?_ speculations that didn’t make his mind calm down from the initial shock of hearing the pet name _at all._ He was sure the younger had done it on purpose, relishing on the fact that he was making Juyeon panic and that there was nothing he could do about it, only pray for all the not so innocent thoughts clouding his mind to go away before he’d have to go and interact with customers.

A tray was suddenly lifted in front of him, right under his nose, and set down onto the serving counter. Eric dinged an imaginary bell, producing a ringing with his mouth while smiling teasingly at Juyeon.

“Table six”, he announced, looking at him right in the eyes.

Juyeon gulped, blinked a few times at Eric and took the tray with shaking hands. He inhaled sharply, snapping his thoughts back into place. When he looked over the counter again, Eric had already begun working again, eyes on the food he was making. His head shot up one more time, and he grinned innocently at Juyeon, sending him a flying kiss before turning to yell out some orders at Hyunjoon.


	15. employee of the month

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sangyeon tries to install an employee of the month system, but not everyone is happy with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!  
> So, this chapter is late, short, and not my best. But it's still fluffy in a way (I mean, everything is just an excuse to write some Juric fluff at this point), so I hope it's not as bad as my sleep-deprived brain is picturing it. 
> 
> Thank you for reading, and thank you for the support!

It was a very hot July afternoon when Eric walked into Flower Snack, disheveled from having skateboarded from his house to the restaurant. As he pushed the door open, he readjusted the straps of his backpack on his shoulders. Jacob and Hyunjoon greeted him briefly as he walked past them, making his way into the kitchen, where Jaehyun, Younghoon and Chanhee were cooking in a comfortable atmosphere.

Eric continued on his way past Sangyeon’s office, when a new decoration on the wall caught his attention. Eric frowned, because, since when was the back of the store decorated? Other than the framed picture of all twelve of them in front of the flower wall, there had never been anything else on the walls.

Eric got closer, and noticed that it was a black poster, inside of a silver frame. At the center, at the top of the poster, were written the words “Employee of the month”. And, on the top left corner, above the inscription “June”, was a picture of Chanhee.

Eric’s eyes opened wide as he stormed into Sangyeon’s office, startling the older who was working at something on his desk.

“Yes, Eric?” he asked, once he’d collected himself.

“You start making employees of the month and you gotta start it with _Chanhee_?” Eric exclaimed.

Sangyeon frowned in confusion. “What’s wrong with that?”

Eric sighed in exasperation, almost throwing his skateboard in the air. “Just because! You know that’s all he’s going to be talking about for the entire month!” he whined.

“Don’t you think he deserves it, though?” Sangyeon tried to reason with him. Because Chanhee did deserve it. Sometimes Sangyeon thought that without the pink-haired boy, he wouldn’t have a restaurant at all.

“No!” Eric immediately answered Sangyeon’s question, before pausing himself. “I mean, kinda, yes, but this is unfair.”

He stared at Sangyeon with a pout. Sangyeon was not impressed.

“Eric, I think you’re overreacting.” Sangyeon chuckled, leaning back into his chair and crossing his arms over his chest.

Eric’s arms immediately stopped gesticulating to drop down to his sides, and his pouty expression was replaced by his most menacing stare. “Fine. Then, have fun hanging out with _Chanhee_ on Saturday, because I’ll be busy.”

He stormed out of the room, leaving Sangyeon bewildered, wondering what exactly had just happened. _What a child_ , Sangyeon scoffed to himself.

Eric knew, rationally, that Chanhee deserved every ounce of that employee of the month title. He also knew, deep down, that it really wasn’t that serious, and that Sangyeon had only done it to make his friends happy, maybe to create some sort of friendly competition between them. But another part of him couldn’t help but feel like it was unfair; he knew just how hard he had been working ever since he’d started out as a waiter. He knew of all the hardships he had faced, adapting to this job, trying to be find the right balance between professionalism and casualness towards the customers. Chanhee had all that already when Flower Snack had opened, but Eric had started from nothing to become the efficient waiter he was today. Was that worth nothing, because despite being good now, he was still not _the best_?

He just _had_ to ask someone for their opinion on the matter. He pondered for the next twenty minutes after his confrontation with Sangyeon about who to ask. He weighed out his options amongst those of his friends who were at the restaurant, wondering why no one was talking about the problem in the first place. He cursed the universe for a second for making Sunwoo not work on this day, because the red-haired definitely would have shared Eric’s outrage on the matter.

This was how he had found himself cornering a very startled Hyunjoon at the back of the dish-washing section of the store. The raven-haired had almost dropped all of the dirty plates he was carrying, and Eric casually helped him settle them down, as if he hadn’t just given him the heart attack of his life.

“What do you think of Chanhee being employee of the month?”

Hyunjoon raised an eyebrow, making a confused face. “I don’t know, good for him?”

Eric sighed in annoyance. “Does the fact that Sangyeon hyung picked him before you not bother you?” Hyunjoon shook his head. “At all? Not even one bit?” Hyunjoon shook his head again.

Eric crossed his arms over his chest. “Does it not feel like a slap in the face to you? Like a ‘you’re not good enough to be my favourite’ kind of slap?”

Hyunjoon snorted, and rolled his eyes.

“It’s literally just a part-time job, Eric.”

“But–”

“Just try harder next time, if you want it so bad”, Hyunjoon chuckled, before lightly pushing Eric away.

Eric huffed at that, and begrudgingly shut his mouth, following Hyunjoon back through the kitchens to the dining area. Okay, maybe Hyunjoon wasn’t his best bet.

A few hours later, Eric was having lunch with Jaehyun in the break room. Eric had almost forgotten about the new employee of the month system, when it suddenly sparked in his mind.

“Hyung, did you see that Sangyeon made Chanhee employee of the month?” Eric asked after swallowing his noodles.

Jaehyun rolled his eyes, without looking up from his phone. “Yeah. It doesn’t make any sense.”

“Right! It should have been Younghoon hyung”, Eric said, glad that someone was finally agreeing with him.

Jaehyun’s interest perked up at the proposition. “Why Younghoon?”

Eric made a thinking face before answering. “He just works so much. He always covers for anyone who’s sick or needs a day off. He’s just, always here.”

Jaehyun nodded pensively. “You’re right... but my bet would be on Haknyeon. He improved so much recently.”

“Not wrong”, Eric agreed. “I think we both agree that Younghoon and Haknyeon would have been better picks than Chanhee.”

Jaehyun leaned back to look at Eric. “I think it’s unfair, because Chanhee had already had so many part-time jobs in the past, while it’s all our first time working. Chanhee just has more experience, of course he’d be better than us!”

Suddenly, the door to the break room opened, and in came the pink-haired boy. He sat down next to Jaehyun on the booth seat, grinning.

“How are my favourite second-class employees doing?” he teased, wrapping an arm around Jaehyun’s shoulders.

Eric sent him a death glare, and dove right back into his bowl of ramen. Jaehyun scoffed, and went back to eating as well.

“Aw, c’mon guys, I’m just joking”, Chanhee laughed, poking Jaehyun’s cheek with his finger. When he received no reaction, he sighed loudly. “It’s just a meaningless title. Please tell me you guys aren’t actually upset about it.”

Still no reaction.

“Yah! It’s not my fault I’m better than you guys” Chanhee bragged as a joke to get a reaction from them.

Jaehyun snapped his head up to the side, pointing an accusing finger at Chanhee. “You had four part-time jobs before this. You cheated.”

Chanhee’s mouth hung open in shock. He let go of Jaehyun’s shoulders and crossed his arms over his chest. “Eric-ah. Tell me you’ve got more sense than this.”

Eric looked up at the older boy, his mouth full of noodles. “Chweating ith chweating”, he spoke.

Chanhee’s eyes switched from Eric to Jaehyun, and back to Eric, a bewildered look on his face. “You two really think of my past working experience as _cheating_?” he asked, voice rising up. “You think it was all fun and games, working at two different places at the same time on my first year at uni? You think I’m _proud_ of being a good part-time worker?”

Eric and Jaehyun exchanged guilty looks, stopping all eating movements. Eric, his mouth still full, broke their eye contact to look at Chanhee. “You w’are quite pwoud ow it though”, he pointed out, trying to relieve the tension.

Chanhee sighed, and sank back into his seat. Jaehyun swallowed his food, and wrapped an arm around the sulking younger.

“This isn’t against you, Chanhee”, he tried, making his voice sound lighter. “We just can’t believe Sangyeon had the audacity of picking a favourite. It doesn’t matter who he chose, it’s just the fact that he chose someone to put above the rest of us. What are we to him? Are we a joke?”

Chanhee snorted, and rolled his eyes in disbelief. “Hyunjae hyung, you are the most childish person I’ve ever met. Oh, and Eric, don’t give me that look, you are too, but at least you actually _are_ somehow still a child.”

Jaehyun raised an eyebrow at that, glancing at Eric. “I’m not sure he is anymore, though.”

Eric almost choked on his noodles at the knowing look Jaehyun was giving him. Chanhee’s gaze flipped between the two of them, clueless. Eric’s cheeks turned pink as he rapidly chewed the last of his food.

“What does that mean?” Chanhee asked, sounding still a bit annoyed at his friends’ behaviour.

Jaehyun coughed, and leaned back onto his chair. “Oh, I don’t know, how about we ask Eric? _Hyung, hyung_ —” Jaehyun faked moaned, and Eric reached across the table to slap him on the arm, effectively making the older shut up, not before he burst out in laughter at the younger’s reaction.

Chanhee’s eyes were wide opened as he eyed the younger’s reddened cheeks and gritted teeth. “That makes you even more childish, hyung”, Eric grumbled under his breath.

Chanhee snapped back to his senses. “So I need to beat up Juyeon now?” he asked, making a show of cracking his knuckles and stretching his neck to the side.

“You’re literally the _least_ threatening person I know”, Jaehyun chuckled.

Chanhee flashed him a smug smile. “Oh yeah? I have four words for you: employee of the month.”

Despite Eric still sulking over the whole employee of the month thing, Chanhee had offered the younger a ride home. Eric had happily accepted, making sure to tell the older that he wasn’t _really_ angry about the entire thing, that Chanhee did deserve the title, and that he was glad he had been the one getting it. Chanhee had earned himself some half-hearted protests when he had ruffled the younger’s hair, and had told him that, with their similar work ethics, he wouldn’t be surprised if Eric would be the one to snatch the award the following month.

“Maybe not after everything I said to Sangyeon hyung, though”, Eric pouted as he sank into the passenger seat of Chanhee’s car.

Chanhee laughed at that. “Don’t worry Eric, if we were to really get upset every time you said something, we wouldn’t even be friends with you anymore. I’m sure Sangyeon hyung has forgiven you already.”

The explanation just made Eric pout even more. He didn’t reply to his friend, instead worrying that maybe he should start watching over his words; maybe he was being more hurtful than he thought, even though Chanhee said that they didn’t take his mean comments to heart.

When he looked out of the window, he noticed that they were driving in the direction of his house, and not Juyeon’s like Eric had promised the older they would meet up at. Eric sat up in his seat alarmingly quick.

“Wait, hyung!” he exclaimed.

The sudden shouting startled Chanhee, who almost lost control of his vehicle. At least they weren’t driving fast. “Yah, you can’t just yell at me like that!” Chanhee scolded.

Eric pinched his lips together. “I’m sorry, it’s just... could you drop me at Juyeon’s apartment?”

“And you’re only asking me this now?”, Chanhee groaned as he reached to punch Eric in the arm.

He made a left turn, and drove in the opposite direction, towards Juyeon’s apartment as Eric had requested. “You’re such a good driver, I know you like taking detours”, Eric teased, knowing very well that Chanhee in fact didn’t like to drive.

“I can drop you off right here if you prefer”, Chanhee threatened, slowing down just enough for Eric to notice.

“I’m just kidding! I’m just kidding!” Eric immediately surrendered.

It was about 15 minutes later when Chanhee stopped in front of Juyeon’s apartment building. Eric thanked Chanhee for the ride, and Chanhee dismissed him with a wave of the hand. Eric clutched his skateboard in his arms, chuckling and he waved back as Chanhee drove off into the busy road.

Eric climbed into the elevator, and made his way to the apartment on the eighth floor. In his small backpack, he fished his set of keys, amongst which he had Juyeon’s spare key. The older had trusted Eric with it way before they had started dating, because their friendship at the time had always been like that; one of trust, and of support. Juyeon knew that Sunwoo was Eric’s best friend, but he also knew that Eric sought comfort in him a lot rather than in his same-aged friend. Even though Eric had barely ever used the key, knowing that the younger had it was a reassurance for both Juyeon and Eric.

As Eric slipped into the apartment, he immediately noticed that all the lights were off. With Jaehyun still at the restaurant, and Changmin staying over at Kevin’s apartment, Eric wasn’t really surprised to find the place empty. It just meant he had beaten Juyeon to his place. Eric cheered internally when he realized that he would be able to rub his victory in Juyeon’s face when the older would arrive.

He kicked his shoes off, leaning his skateboard onto the wall and flopped down onto the living room couch. Juyeon had texted him a few minutes earlier that he was leaving Changmin’s studio where he had been hanging out for the entire day. Eric took his phone out to wait for Juyeon to arrive, laying on his back across the rather small couch.

When Jaehyun came back home, the first thing he noticed was the skateboard leaning onto the wall near the entrance door. There was no mistaking it as anyone else’s board than Eric’s, since it was a customized one for the boy. However, the presence of the board in the apartment didn’t really mean anything to Jaehyun. It could have been that the younger had left it there when he’d swung by, since he wouldn’t need it if Juyeon was driving them somewhere. That happened a lot, and Jaehyun had gotten used to randomly finding the board as an improvised decoration in his house’s entrance.

The lights were all out across the flat, but that also didn’t mean much. Living with two other boys, you never knew if one of them was sleeping somewhere, or tucked away in their room.

What _did_ surprise Jaehyun wasn’t really that there was _someone_ on the couch, but more the fact that it was Eric, and that he had visibly fallen asleep.

Jaehyun wiped out his phone in a second, dialing Juyeon’s number. He waited a few rings before his best friend finally picked up.

“Hyung?” Juyeon answered, sounding a little confused. They lived together, so they rarely needed to call each other.

“Why is Eric sleeping on our couch?” Jaehyun asked immediately.

“Eric? _Fuck_ ”, Juyeon cursed under his breath, but Jaehyun caught the reaction.

“Juyeon”, Jaehyun pressed after a few seconds of silence. “Do I wake him up?”

“No, no, I’ve got this.” Jaehyun heard some shuffling on the line, along with some muffled voices and loud teasing. He had to move his phone away from his ear at one particularly loud shouting. Changmin. “I just got held back at the studio and I completely forgot we were supposed to meet, I’m on my way.” The voices in the background had gotten more distant, and Jaehyun wondered if what he could hear were Juyeon’s hurried footsteps. “Thank you for calling me.”

“No worries. Hurry up.” Jaehyun took one concerned glanced at Eric’s sleeping figure, before hanging up the call. The current events reminded him a lot of a previous time, the situation oddly similar to the current one.

It was the only time that Eric had really ever used the spare key Juyeon had given him. Jaehyun hadn’t known what to do, finding the boy sleeping in a curled-up position on the couch, dried tears covering his face. His first instinct had been to call Juyeon, and the younger had ran all the way from the cafe down the road where he was in a meeting for a school project. Jaehyun had stayed in the background, watching sat in the dining room as Juyeon burst through the door, and woke Eric up with the utmost gentleness, even though his hands were shaking in panic. The younger had immediately started crying in Juyeon’s embrace, and all Jaehyun had been able to catch from his cries was something along the lines of “fight with Hyunjoon” and “scary old men in the park”.

(Turns out, the scary old men in the park had been boys more around Jaehyun’s age who had tried to get a grip on Eric’s bag, to steal the very little money he had in there. Eric, already shaken up from his pretty ugly argument with Hyunjoon, had overreacted before the guys could even do anything and had ended up at Jaehyun, Juyeon and Changmin’s place.)

Eric had been younger then, but it didn’t change anything to the fact that it was the first time for Jaehyun to ever see him like this. It had also been the first time he had realized how protective Juyeon actually was of Eric, and had started suspecting that his best friend might have cared a bit too much for their younger friend for it to be considered just a casual friendship. Juyeon had never acted this way towards _him_ , after all, and they were best friends. Jaehyun definitely hadn’t been jealous.

This time, however, Jaehyun couldn’t find any signs of tears, or distress, on Eric’s face. After scanning the younger’s face for a while, he realized that he might look like a creep, being so close to his sleeping friend, so he retreated to the kitchen. He grabbed himself a snack and waited to Juyeon to arrive.

Juyeon was relaxed when he came through the door. Although he had a guilty look on his face, Jaehyun couldn’t decipher any hint of panic on him. He narrowed his eyes on his best friend, and watched the younger walk directly to the couch, shoes still on, to sit down on the limited space on the couch, next to Eric’s sleeping body. He gently ran a hand through the blonde hair, and waited for the younger to stir up a little before whispering “I’m sorry”.

When Eric woke up to Juyeon’s hand in his hair, he was at first confused, even more when the older immediately apologized to him. He tried to sit up, pushing his elbows against the couch, but he didn’t get the chance to complete his move. Instead, he was lifted off the couch, his arms immediately coming to cling around Juyeon’s neck as he was being carried. In his sleepy state, he didn’t notice Juyeon making small talk with Jaehyun, and the next thing he knew, he was being laid into Juyeon’s bed, his boyfriend climbing next to him and leaving gentle kisses along his jaw.

“Wait baby, don’t fall asleep yet”, Juyeon spoke softly, but the thumb gently tracing his cheekbone definitely wasn’t helping Eric fight off the sleep from taking over.

“You should go and shower while you’re still awake”, Juyeon whispered. “You kind of stink of fried food.”

The comment had Eric scoffing, his half-lidded eyes closing completely as he laughed. He weakly pushed at Juyeon’s arm.

“You need to take a shower too, you’re so sweaty”, he mumbled back.

Juyeon chuckled, brushing Eric’s messy hair out of his face. “I promise I’ll go, but you need to go first, or else I have a feeling you’ll end up falling asleep waiting for me.”

At that, Eric pouted. “Can’t we just go together?” he bluntly asked.

Juyeon’s hand stilled in Eric’s hair, and even through his drowsy state Eric could tell he was surprised.

“Are you sure?” Juyeon finally responded.

Eric nodded. “It could be fun.”

Juyeon stared at him with a look of bewilderment. “Yeah. You wouldn’t be able to shower by yourself right now anyway”, he tried to reason, more with himself than with Eric.

The blonde laughed at the reply. He was more awake now, and he grabbed one of Juyeon’s hands, the one that wasn’t still mechanically petting his hair. “Hyung, it’s fine”, he giggled at Juyeon’s expression. “Juyeon hyung. I’m ready, and I trust you. You’ve seen me naked before, and you’ll see me naked again, so might as well save some time and a bit of water.”

Juyeon gave a small smile at Eric’s antics. “Okay, but really, I don’t have to _look_ if you’re uncomfortable–”

“Are _you_ uncomfortable?” Eric retorted.

“N-no!” Juyeon stuttered immediately.

Eric grinned. “Alright then, I guess I’ll just fall asleep waiting for my turn–”

He couldn’t finish his sentence that Juyeon scooped him up from the bed effortlessly, pressing a kiss to his lips. Eric smiled into it, and pulled away just long enough to be able to remind Juyeon to grab them some clean clothes, before he brought his lips back to Juyeon’s.

They didn’t end up saving much water – the only shower in Juyeon’s apartment was quite cramped, and definitely not meant to fit two people, especially if one of those people was trying to give a blowjob to the other.

“I heard you were upset about that employee ranking at the restaurant”, Juyeon said, running a hand through Eric’s damp hair as they both laid in Juyeon’s bed.

Word traveled really fast when your coworkers were also your friends, and your boyfriend’s friends.

“It’s stupid”, Eric mumbled into Juyeon’s neck, already falling asleep.

“It’s not stupid”, Juyeon replied, leaving a kiss into Eric’s hair. Eric was already spent from their shower earlier, so he let Juyeon pull him closer and tangle their legs together.

“Baby, you’re doing good”, Juyeon said reassuringly. “Everyone appreciates your work at Flower Snack. Someone else getting employee of the month doesn’t mean you have anything to reproach yourself for, okay?”

“I told you it was stupid”, Eric pouted, lips curving against Juyeon’s skin.

Juyeon let out a short sigh through his nose. “Youngjae, nothing about you is stupid.”

A smile stretched Eric’s lips. “Except my ramen addiction.”

Juyeon chuckled. “Except your ramen addiction.”

“No, but seriously, that’s gonna make you sick, one day”, Juyeon spoke up after a few minutes, eyes staring at the ceiling above him, eyebrows frowned in concern.

Eric groaned into the older boy’s shoulder. “Hyung, go to sleep.”


	16. power outage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A power outage in the middle of the day isn't exactly anything fun, but, Eric makes the most of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to another sappy fluff vomit, yay!
> 
> Thank you for reading, I hope you'll like this one!

They really couldn’t have seen it coming. It was a beautiful summer day like every other, with barely any clouds in the sky. The weather was warm, bringing out many people out in the shopping streets, thus bringing an increased number of customers to the restaurant. The guys were overwhelmingly busy, but they enjoyed themselves nonetheless. Sangyeon had severely underestimated the power of a good summer day, and only a few of the boys had been scheduled to work. At the moment, it was only Eric and Younghoon in the dining room, and Juyeon and Kevin in the kitchen.

As Eric was rounding up a customer’s bill on the cash register, a beeping noise echoed through the restaurant, and the screen in front of Eric turned off. The waiter froze in place, and lifted his head up to look around.

All the lights in the shop were turned off, so had the neon sign on the flower wall. A small shriek was heard from the kitchen, followed by a silence. Not even one customer was speaking, as everyone looked around in confusion.

Eric glanced outside, but the broad daylight made it impossible to figure out if the other shops around them also had a blackout or not. Luckily for Eric, he had already almost finished the transaction with the elderly couple in front of him, so he quickly gave them their change and thanked them for coming.

Eric walked over to the ordering counter, where a panicked Younghoon was already standing. On the other side of the wall, Juyeon and Kevin didn’t look any more confident. This situation was one that they had never been prepared for, Sangyeon had never told them what they were supposed to do, or not do.

Perhaps this was exactly the reason why Eric was feeling a burst of excitement rise in his chest.

“Okay... okay, we can handle this”, Kevin tried to convince the small group.

Although he was the oldest in the restaurant, it was clear that Younghoon was too shaken up to be of any help for the moment. Juyeon too looked unsure of what to do, turning to Kevin with expectant eyes.

“Eric, I need you to make everyone who hasn’t ordered yet leave. We can let the rest eat here if they want, or you can offer takeaway boxes. I guess we’ll just have to give everyone their food for free? Since our cash register is down?”

The three other boys nodded in agreement.

“Okay, good, and then, uhm, Younghoon hyung? I think we need to know if this is a ‘us’ problem or a problem on the whole street. I don’t know, could you go spy on the other shops? Just see if they’re out of power or not.”

Younghoon nodded vividly, more than happy to be able to escape the stressful situation. He quickly untied his apron and left it on the counter in front of him, before making his way out. Eric went to deal with the customers, while Kevin and Juyeon busied themselves in the kitchen.

It took around an hour for the restaurant to empty itself of all customers, and when the very last of them left the store, the power still hadn’t returned.

Younghoon had let the boys know that their neighbours were completely fine, meaning that it was only their restaurant being out of power. As soon as they had been left on their own, Kevin had grabbed his phone to use its flashlight and had scoured through Sangyeon’s office to see if he could fix the problem on his own, before he’d inevitably have to call the electricity company. In the kitchen, Eric was helping Juyeon stock the ice from the freezer into the fridge so that they wouldn’t lose all the food stored inside.

It didn’t take long for them to be done with their task, and once that was over, there wasn’t much else for them to do. Kevin hadn’t come out of the office yet, and Younghoon had busied himself with cleaning around the kitchen. Juyeon started to take out plastic containers to store the leftovers that they most likely weren’t going to sell anytime soon.

He got to work quietly, his back turned to the rest of the kitchen, when he heard some shuffling in the background, then some hurried footsteps that seemed to be leaving the kitchen.

“No, Eric, give that back!” a very distressed-sounding Younghoon shrieked.

Juyeon turned around with curiosity, only to see his little bundle of energy dash out of the kitchen into the empty dining area.

Younghoon groaned, and dropped his washing cloth onto the counter, taking a few long strides towards where the younger boy had escaped. Juyeon watched their little chasing game through the opening in the wall, Eric running away from Younghoon every time the older took a step towards him.

“That’s not funny!” Younghoon exclaimed in frustration, after the younger had once again escaped from him by sliding under a table.

Eric’s loud laughter was the only thing piercing through the suffocating silence of the store, as he reappeared a few meters away, head popping up in between two tables. Younghoon gave him a death glare. Eric looked back at him, a challenging look on his face. They both didn’t move for a few seconds, before Younghoon slowly took a step towards the younger. And another. And-

Eric sprayed the taller waiter’s chest with the disinfectant he had just stolen from him, startling Younghoon, before he ran away again. The poor boy shouted in despair. “Eric, _please_!”

Juyeon thought it was about time he intervened before Younghoon would start crying out of frustration. He knew Eric could be a lot to handle, often toying with the thin line between friendly banter and plain annoyance. Unfortunately for all of their other friends, this was a side of Eric that Juyeon loved seeing and would gladly encourage, if the bubbling of affection in his chest was anything to go by.

But when the line was crossed, Juyeon still knew how to put his foot down and get Eric to calm down.

With a chuckle, he sealed the container he had just been filling up, and walked into the dining room. Eric was once again running away, his eyes glued to Younghoon.

Eric never saw Juyeon standing near the doors to the kitchen, and ended up running a bit too close to him. Juyeon simply spread out an arm to catch him right in his run, and wrapped him in his arms.

“Gotcha,” he smirked.

Eric’s laughs were muffled against his chest. The boy didn’t give any resistance to being held, letting go easily of the spray bottle he was holding when Juyeon carefully tried to take it from him. Once Juyeon had retrieved the bottle, he stretched out his hand towards Younghoon, his other arm still firmly holding Eric, even though the younger was no longer making any movement except from the slight shake of his shoulders every time he laughed.

Younghoon snatched the bottle from Juyeon, giving him an exasperated glare. Juyeon smiled sheepishly, and followed the older with his eyes until he disappeared behind the kitchen doors.

“You promise you’re not going to run away if I let go?” he asked, looking down at the top of Eric’s blonde head.

Eric shook his head against Juyeon’s chest. Juyeon vigorously ruffled his hair. “Good, you’re gonna help me to finish package the leftovers.”

Eric whined, but gave a timid nod. Juyeon dropped the arm that was securing his body in place, and Eric looked up to him, pouting like a child being scolded.

Juyeon’s heart skipped a beat at how cute the younger was, and he leaned down to quickly peck his lips. They both calmly returned to the kitchen, and Eric followed Juyeon to where the pots full of leftovers were gathered. They started working together, and Eric didn’t cause any more trouble now that Juyeon was keeping an eye on him.

And as strange as it was, maybe Juyeon felt a part of guilt towards Younghoon too, because, he really should have known better than to think a bored Eric who wasn’t given any attention would willingly just stay still and not cause a scene.

Juyeon, with Eric’s help, finished putting away the leftover food a few minutes later, and by then, there really wasn’t anything else he could think of doing to help out in the current situation.

“What else do you think we could do?” Juyeon asked Eric, lazily resting his forearm onto one of the counters.

Eric stood next to him, and shrugged. “I guess there isn’t much more. Everything is clean already.”

“I wish Sangyeon and Jacob hyung were here, they would know what to do”, Juyeon sighed, feeling tiredness take over his body.

Sangyeon and Jacob had both taken the day off, as Sangyeon was helping Jacob move in with him. The decision had surprised everyone, as they hadn’t been together that long, and Jacob wasn’t one to usually make bold moves like that. Still, the boys didn’t want to disturb the couple on this meaningful – and very busy – day for them.

Eric took a step forward and placed both hands on the counter, on either side of Juyeon, trapping the older between himself and the wooden counter. “Well, they’re not here, so”, he grinned playfully, before pressing a kiss to Juyeon’s lips.

“I am here, though”, Younghoon’s voice immediately cut in.

Juyeon pulled away from Eric as quick as he could, cheeks heating up in embarrassment. Eric laced his right hand’s fingers with Juyeon’s, immediately noticing that there was something more than pure embarrassment in Juyeon’s reaction, because, alright, maybe Juyeon wasn’t the most fond of public affection out of the two of them, but Juyeon would _never_ miss out on an opportunity to hug him, and at that moment, their position was _perfect_ for a hug. A few seconds staring at his boyfriend’s face made Eric realize that Juyeon looked like he was feeling down, maybe just tired, but the warmth in his eyes was all gone. And Eric couldn’t let that happen.

“Hyung,” Eric called softly, “let’s just go sit down.”

Juyeon nodded, and straightened himself up a little. He let one of his hands slip up to delicately hold Eric’s waist. The younger unconsciously let out a contented hum, automatically making Juyeon smile in satisfaction.

“In the dining room?” Juyeon offered, head tilting towards the empty area.

The dining room was an appealing choice, considering that it was currently the only place in the restaurant with light. But Eric shook his head.

“The break room?” he countered, with a hint of innocence in his voice. The break room was the only place in the restaurant _without_ light, and the thought alone had Eric buzzing in excitement.

“It’s pitch black in there”, Juyeon asked in confusion.

Eric grinned. “Exactly.”

He pulled the older with him, walking past Younghoon with a cocky grin towards the older. Younghoon rolled his eyes at them, but didn’t say anything to stop them. They both whisked past the office door, missing bumping into Kevin by half a second.

“ _Eric!_ ” Kevin yelled after them. “ _Remember this is still a work environment!”_

Eric giggled as he pushed Juyeon into the break room. “ _I’ll remember that next time I catch you making out with Changmin in the storage room!”_

Kevin’s jaw dropped as he heard the employee’s room door slamming shut. _The little brat._

It was indeed pitch black in the room, especially after Eric had closed the door behind the both of them. A thin ray of light shone through the small gap under the door, but it wasn’t enough to allow the boys to see anything more than blurry shapes.

“Where are you?” Eric asked, swinging his arms around.

He let out a yelp when a hand grabbed him, pulling him forward until his body slammed into Juyeon’s.

“I’m right where you _pushed_ me”, Juyeon groaned. Eric could detect a small undertone of annoyance in his voice. But Eric chose not to point it out.

Especially when Juyeon started feeling Eric’s body up with his hands, clearly as an effort to figure out where Eric was standing, but Eric would take the contact however way he could get it, and he would certainly not say anything that might stop Juyeon from doing it.

He gave Juyeon time to adjust to the dark room and get himself comfortable, until finally, _finally_ Eric felt the familiar pair of muscular arms wrap around him, and it was like he was home again, surrounded in Juyeon, warm and _safe_. He could feel Juyeon’s breath on his cheek, indicating where the older’s face was, right in front of his.

Eric blindly tip-toed and pressed a kiss to the soft skin. Juyeon shrieked, letting go of Eric instantly. “That was my eye, Youngjae!”

“How did I even reach your eye?” Eric couldn’t help but laugh.

A hand placed itself behind his neck, and what felt like Juyeon’s forehead leaned gently against his, making Eric’s laugh die down as he brought all of his attention on the fact that Juyeon’s face was centimeters away from his, and he couldn’t see a thing.

Suddenly, he felt Juyeon’s lips on his nose, sending him into a giggle fit all over again. He could hear Juyeon’s quiet laugh as well, making his heart swell with the pride that if Juyeon was laughing, then he was getting in a lighter mood, and Eric definitely had a small part to play in that positive mood change.

“Do you think Kevin will get them to bring the power back on?” Juyeon asked, now breathing into Eric’s neck. The younger’s breath hitched at the sudden proximity. He felt Juyeon’s lips turn into a smile against his skin.

“I hope they don’t”, Eric mumbled. “This is a nice break.”

Juyeon hummed in response, and hugged Eric closer. The younger’s hands found their way around Juyeon’s back, hugging him in return.

“Let’s sit down?” Eric asked, without moving away from Juyeon. 

“That’s the reason you dragged me here”, Juyeon chuckled, ruffling Eric’s hair. The gesture was careful, as Juyeon tried to not poke the younger in the eye by accident while doing it, but Eric couldn’t help and feel his heart skip a beat.

Eric let one of his hands trail down Juyeon’s arm, feeling around until he reached Juyeon’s hand, still petting his hair. He laced their fingers together and pulled lightly, making Juyeon release Eric from his grip.

Eric pulled Juyeon with him, and they stumbled towards the lunch table, moving slowly to try and locate it without tripping on their and their friends’ discarded bags all over the floor. Eric was moving first, and Juyeon followed close, his hand gripping Eric’s tightly as if he’d lose him if he let go.

Suddenly, Juyeon groaned in pain from next to Eric.

“What was that?” Eric asked in worry, his head whipping towards the source of the noise, even though he couldn’t see.

“The table”, Juyeon hissed, “in my stomach.”

Eric pouted, even though the older couldn’t see him. He reached in the dark for Juyeon’s body, and softly rubbed his toned stomach in comfort. Juyeon felt his heart stop at the adorable gesture.

“Here”, Eric exclaimed, “the booth!”

Juyeon felt Eric’s body disappear from beside him, and he froze in confusion, until he was pulled down by their connected hands, and his butt harshly hit the booth seat. Eric was all over him in seconds, kissing him blindly – he found Juyeon’s right ear, this time.

Juyeon quickly pulled away, making some disgusted protest sounds. Eric chuckled, and scooted closer to the older. He let out a small yelp when he felt his boyfriend’s hands closing in on his waist, and lift him up to sit him onto his lap with surprising accuracy. Eric spread his legs so that he’d be straddling Juyeon, and leaned closer to the older. Their noses collided painfully, and they both chuckled through the pain.

Juyeon’s hands moved to Eric’s ass with the purpose of playfully pinching the younger, but he stopped all movements when he felt his fingers come in contact with a solid and rectangular shape inside of Eric’s back pocket.

“Baby”, he exhaled softly, “did you really have your phone on you this whole time?”

Eric bit back a laugh. If he was being honest, he’d been so focused on cheering Juyeon up that he’d totally forgotten about his phone.

Swatting Juyeon’s hand away from his butt, he reached backwards to take his phone from his back pocket. He held it in front of himself, unlocking it and at the same time lighting up both of their faces.

The light revealed Juyeon staring right at him, unimpressed. “I’m sorry”, Eric laughed.

Juyeon rolled his eyes, but took advantage of the new lighting to lean forward and kiss Eric’s lips, properly this time. The younger’s eyes slammed shut, and he dropped his phone on the booth next to them as he kissed back. Juyeon squeezed firmly at Eric’s waist, making the boy gasp in surprise. Juyeon took the opportunity to slide his tongue into Eric’s mouth, deepening the kiss.

Eric’s hands shot up to the dark hair, wildly running through it. Juyeon’s heartbeat quickened at the gesture, and he showed his boyfriend his appreciation with a low moan, sent directly down Eric’s throat.

“Uh, Kev? Where is everyone?” they heard a muffled voice into the distance, probably from farther up the hallway.

Some footsteps accompanied the voice, coming closer to the break room. In a corner of his mind, Eric could make out Changmin coming back from his studio, all sweaty and frankly disgusting in his dancing clothes, arriving early at the restaurant so that he could go wash his face in the bathroom before his shift.

Eric broke apart from the kiss only to huff in annoyance. Juyeon grinned, amused at the reaction. He could see Eric’s face a little, thanks to the unlocked phone next to them. He placed a kiss on Eric’s cheek, and smiled lovingly at his boyfriend.

“No, wait, Changmin, don’t go in there!” Kevin’s panicked voice suddenly broke their moment again.

“Why?” Changmin, definitely closer to the door, asked in confusion. “I just need to take my makeup bag from your bag! I’ll be quick baby, I promise.”

The door knob twisting could be heard, squeaking sound making Eric jump off Juyeon’s lap, sitting right on his phone in the panic.

Juyeon was just about to shout something to mess with Changmin, but Eric’s reaction dissuaded him from doing it.

“You’ll thank me later”, Kevin, now sounding closer, said. As the couple walked away, they could hear Kevin go “Babe, your makeup looks good, you don’t _have_ to remove it.”

Once their chatter faded completely, Eric leaned his head onto Juyeon’s shoulder, fishing for his phone at the same time. When he held it up again to light up their faces, Juyeon had a peak at the screen.

“Your homescreen is a picture of us?” Juyeon asked, amused.

Eric blushed in embarrassment, thankful that the darkness helped hiding the changing colours on his face. “That’s not too weird though, is it?”, he asked.

“Of course not”, Juyeon smiled, and kissed Eric’s cheek. “Mine is a picture of us, too.”

Eric’s heart made a jump at the confession. He turned towards Juyeon, smiling widely.

He could feel his own heartbeat loud in his chest, and he took a deep breath, trying to calm it down but it was near impossible as a rush of feelings flowed through him, making his skin tingle where it met Juyeon’s and his cheeks heat up as if it was too much love suddenly threatening to burst out of him. His brain was going haywire as he gathered the courage to finally put the words down on his feelings, to finally tell Juyeon he loved him, because the moment wasn’t really romantic, it wasn’t perfect, but it was just them, kissing and cuddling in the dark and Eric knew they had promised each other to take their time, but he couldn’t hold it in any longer.

“Hyung, I lov–”

But of course, the lights would choose this exact moment to flicker open. The sudden brightness revealed the two boys’ disheveled appearance, and the way they hadn’t even realized they were sitting, turned towards each other with their legs tangled on the booth seat. Juyeon blinked a few times to adjust to the light, and tilted his head, his eyes meeting Eric’s.

“You what? What were you saying?”

Eric felt his face flush in embarrassment. He fumbled with his phone, sliding it back into his back pocket and shaking his head. “Forget it.”

Juyeon frowned, but didn’t insist further. He leaned closer to his boyfriend, until their lips brushed together. One hand on Eric’s thigh helped support his body when he pressed their lips together into one, quick kiss.

“Are you feeling better?” Eric asked, trying not to sulk about how his confession had just been flushed down the drain, interrupted in such a way he knew it would be difficult for him to gather the courage to say it again, when Juyeon would actually hear him.

He brushed the thoughts aside, focusing back on his boyfriend, and the way his face looked more relaxed now than when they’d entered the room, his eyes back to their usual happy and carefree glint.

Juyeon gave Eric’s thigh a little squeeze, and sat back in his seat. He smiled at the younger, getting up and gesturing for Eric to do the same. The blonde haired stayed seated for a second, eyes trailing over Juyeon’s face as he waited for an answer.

“I’m good, I’m good”, Juyeon assured, holding out a hand for Eric to grab.

Eric’s expression must not have been convincing when he intertwined their fingers, because Juyeon pulled him to his feet with a laugh, nuzzling his face into Eric’s hair and burying the boy against his chest in the process.

“You’re cute when you’re worried”, he mumbled against the top of Eric’s head.

“I’m cute all the time, what are you saying”, Eric huffed, playfully shoving Juyeon away.

When Juyeon really did take a step back, away from him, Eric pouted. “No, come back”, he grumbled, wrapping his arms around Juyeon’s waist to pull him back against him. Juyeon let him, his own arms draping loosely around Eric’s shoulders.

“Youngjae, if the electricity works, then so do we”, Juyeon teasingly reminded the waiter.

“My shift has probably ended by now”, Eric mumbled back.

“Fine, then we still need to step out to let Changmin take off his makeup or whatever.”

Eric groaned, but let go of Juyeon. He took one last observing look at the older’s face. “Are you sure you’re good?”

Juyeon rolled his eyes with a smile, pushing Eric towards the door. “I am, now get out.”

Juyeon left a kiss at the back of Eric’s neck for good measure, before they stumbled out of the room, bickering and laughing.

Eric wasn’t sure what he expected – maybe for the restaurant to be already opened for business, with the power now back on, but instead, exactly nothing had changed from the last time he’d been in the kitchen.

Younghoon was sitting on one of the stools in the kitchen, scrolling through his phone in pure boredom. He looked up upon hearing Eric and Juyeon’s entrance.

“Are we not open yet?” Juyeon asked with a frown.

Younghoon shrugged. “Kevin’s still trying to reach the electricity company on the phone. Sangyeon hyung said to wait for their instructions before re-opening.”

“Well, Sangyeon hyung is always worried for nothing”, Eric pointed out.

“Like you’re one to talk”, Juyeon smirked as he gave Eric’s arm a little push.

Eric stuck out his tongue, and Juyeon reached up to ruffle his hair, smiling fondly.

“Not in front of the singles, please”, Younghoon whined, but the slight laugh in his voice showed he didn’t really mind.

Nonetheless, Eric complied, bowing jokingly as an apology, and pulled Juyeon with him so that they could see what was up with Kevin and the long-lasting phone call.

In the dining room, they found Kevin and Changmin sat at a table, with Kevin’s phone in front of them. Faint elevator music could be heard from the device, sign that Kevin still hadn’t been able to talk to anyone. Changmin’s head was resting on Kevin’s shoulder, while Kevin had a focused face on, almost not noticing Eric and Juyeon enter.

Eric skipped up to them, pulling himself a chair in front of the couple to sit down. Changmin didn’t move from his spot against Kevin, but waved lazily as a greeting. A few seconds later, Juyeon took the last chair around the table, an unceremoniously loud scraping sound accompanying him sitting down.

“How long has it been?” Eric asked, gesturing to the phone on the table.

Changmin shrugged. “About twenty minutes.”

“I’d have more luck calling the president at this point”, Kevin spoke through gritted teeth.

Changmin tilted his head to look up at Kevin. He then shifted his arm to be able to hold his hand, rubbing soothing circles over the back of it.

That’s when Eric spotted Changmin’s arm, covered in what looked to be a lot of black tattoos.

“Holy shit hyung, when did that happen?” he gasped, immediately reaching to grab Changmin’s arm.

Changmin pulled his arm away with a small smile.

“They’re not tattoos”, he quickly explained, looking down at his own skin, taking a better look at each of the small doodles and patterns all over it.

“Kebbie likes to draw when he’s anxious. We just didn’t have any paper.”

Changmin’s cheeks turned a bright shade of pink under the foundation he was still wearing. He looked back at Kevin, his eyes trailing down to their intertwined hands. That’s when Eric noticed Kevin’s other hand, tightly gripping on a black inked pen, knuckles turned white from how hard he was clutching at the innocent object.

Eric didn’t get the chance to ask further questions before the music coming from the phone stopped, and a bored customer service voice greeted them. Kevin hurriedly dropped both the pen and Changmin’s hand to grab the phone, even though he’d left it on speaker and only had to hold it in front of him.

“Finally!” Changmin exclaimed loudly at the same time, throwing his hands in the air before he realized that _Kevin had left it on speaker_ , and he clasped his hands over his mouth.

Kevin smacked him on the arm, muttering an embarrassed apology to the employee on the phone as Eric and Juyeon burst into laughter, Eric throwing his entire body at Juyeon in the process. Changmin incessantly whispered apologies to Kevin’s ears, feeling even more guilty when his boyfriend’s expression wasn’t softening, but of course it wasn’t Changmin that Kevin was annoyed at.

Being sent a death glare by Kevin being one of the least scary things in the world, Eric didn’t hold back his laughter in the slightest way. Only when Juyeon swallowed his pride about pda to shut him up with a kiss, that’s when Kevin finally got to properly speak to the electricity company, getting to know what exactly had happened and that it was now safe for them to start using the equipment again.


	17. a friend in need

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Juyeon and Eric's plans get derailed, but there's nothing they wouldn't do for a friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi, let's just pretend I didn't skip an upload last week haha.. I might upload chapter 18 soon to make up for it, but don't hold me to that
> 
> There's a small but shameless generation z reference in this chapter, you've been warned lol

Eric wheeled the mop in front of him, pushing it with difficulty through the heavy kitchen doors. He held the left one with his foot to prevent it from slamming shut on him as he hauled the mop completely into the kitchen. The ruckus made Juyeon turn around, a pile of clean plates in his hands.

“I’m done!” Eric panted, flashing Juyeon a bright smile.

Juyeon smiled back at him and went to put down the plates in their place above the counters. “Right on time! Let’s go home.”

Eric cheered with a quick laugh, before resuming to push the heavy-filled-with-water mop all the way into the dish-washing area. He emptied the bucket into the sink, and just as he was putting it down in its place under the sink, a warm body wrapping around his back made him yelp in surprise.

Juyeon’s quiet laugh reached his ears. Eric stood back up, turning around in Juyeon’s embrace. The older pushed him lightly against the edge of the sink, sliding his hands to rest on the younger’s hips. Juyeon grinned at his boyfriend, and pressed a long kiss on Eric’s lips.

When Juyeon pulled back, he stared at Eric with a smile.

“Hey”, he breathed out softly, his thumbs gently pressing into the soft skin at Eric’s hips.

The younger bit his bottom lip, tugging Juyeon forward by the hem of his shirt while his cheeks turned red. Juyeon smiled at that, and pressed his body against Eric.

“Changmin finally moved in with Kevin” he stated, even though Eric knew that already, and paused himself to appreciate the look on Eric’s face as his thumbs gently kneaded more of the tender skin at Eric’s waist. “And Hyunjae hyung’s staying at his parents’ for the weekend.”

Eric bit back a whine at the sensation of Juyeon’s calloused hands taking possession of his waist.

“This means I’ve got the apartment to myself”, Juyeon grinned, and leaned in to peck Eric’s lips, quick, teasing.

The younger tug at Juyeon’s shirt again with a pout, asking for another kiss, which Juyeon was more than happy to give. He pulled Eric closer to him, and leaned his head down to make their lips move together for a few seconds.

“You’ll tell your parents you’re staying at mine’s this time, right?” Juyeon confirmed with a teasing smirk.

“That was one time!” Eric whined in protest, and Juyeon’s head dived into the younger’s neck to hide, his soft laughs against Eric’s skin sending shivers all over his body.

They were both referring to the last time Eric had stayed over at Juyeon’s, and had forgotten to let his parents know about it. They had been woken up by a call at 4 in the morning, and Eric’s parents definitely didn’t sound pleased to have spent the entire night awake and worrying for the moment their son would return, only to find out that it had never been the plan.

“Hyung”, Eric complained, “stop laughing!”

But Juyeon saw that he was laughing too when he brought his face back up at Eric’s level. “Let’s just go get our things”, he chuckled, patting Eric’s butt to push him out of the room.

Eric’s laugh echoed through the hallway as he jogged towards the break room. Juyeon followed at a less hurried pace, walking calmly in Eric’s footsteps, and he almost missed seeing the boy disappear into the break room.

Eric’s laughter abruptly stopped, making Juyeon frown.

“Youngjae?”

When he received no response, he hurried towards the door that had been left open. Always wary of the possibility of Eric pranking him, Juyeon walked in carefully.

What he saw was Eric standing in the middle of the room, clearly not attempting any sort of prank. He was frozen still, a look of surprise on his face as he stared at something right on the other side of the table.

Juyeon took a few steps closer, until he noticed exactly what Eric was looking at. A tall body, long limbs curled up into himself, laying on the bench seat, asleep. A mop of dark hair was falling a bit over the boy’s face, and the hoodie he was using as a pillow hid another part of his face. The boy had stirred a bit at the noise of Juyeon’s footsteps.

“Younghoon hyung?” Juyeon asked, worry laced in his voice.

Younghoon’s eyes fluttered open, and he was startled for a second when they fell on Eric and Juyeon.

“Why are you still here?” Eric asked, not so delicately, considering the fact that Younghoon had just been woken up and was visibly confused.

Younghoon hid his face in his hands, rubbing his fists over his eyes. He slowly unfolded his legs to sit up. Juyeon silently placed a hand on the bottom of Eric’s back, to try and let the impulsive younger boy let him handle the situation.

“Do you need a ride home?” Juyeon offered.

Younghoon looked weak, pale as he shook his head. The older took a deep breath in, and Juyeon could see his bottom lip quivering. On his lap, Younghoon was toying nervously with his fingers.

“Hyung”, Juyeon called for the older’s attention. “We’ll take you with us, okay? I don’t think I can let you drive if you’re like this.”

A small frown appeared on Younghoon’s face. A few seconds passed, before Younghoon managed to swallow the lump in his throat and utter a reply.

“I can’t go back home”, his voice came out barely louder than a whisper.

He lowered his gaze onto his lap, and Juyeon caught the sight of a tear rolling down his cheek. His heart dropped in his chest, and he immediately ran to the older, sitting down besides him.

“So were you planning on just sleeping the night here?” Juyeon frowned, and he couldn’t help the disapproving tone in his voice.

Younghoon’s gaze was fixed on his knees. He looked so vulnerable that to Juyeon he appeared a few years younger. Juyeon wrapped an arm around Younghoon’s shoulders, pulling his friend closer.

“Younghoon-ie hyung?” Juyeon tried again.

This time, Younghoon’s head turned to the side, and he briefly made eye contact with Juyeon, his lips sealed together but the look in his eyes was enough to convey every word his mouth wouldn’t.

“I’m taking you back to my apartment”, Juyeon decided.

Younghoon’s eyes then hesitantly made contact with Eric’s, as if asking for the younger’s permission.

Eric tried his best to hide his disappointment of not getting his promised night alone with Juyeon, instead nodding vigorously. “Yeah, we can run you a warm bath and make some hot chocolate with marshmallows!” he declared, forcing a bright smile to his lips.

A weak smile danced on Younghoon’s face. “That’s really generous of you, but really, you don’t have to. I’ll be fine.”

Juyeon shifted uncomfortably on his seat. He wanted to help, to comfort the older, but he couldn’t find the proper words to reassure his friend when he didn’t know what the situation was. Juyeon was so unprepared for this, he thought. He was never one for sentimental words, and he worried that if he spoke, he would do more damage than good.

Eric exchanged a look with his boyfriend, and ran to Younghoon’s other side. He squeezed himself next to the dark-haired boy, wrapping an arm around his broad shoulders, making Juyeon’s own arm fall off in the process.

“I really don’t mind, hyung”, Eric said. “I’m sure that Juyeon hyung’s apartment is way more comfortable than Flower Snack’s back store. And if you don’t want to talk to me, that’s fine, but you’ll have Juyeon. Well, he’s probably not gonna know what to say to you, but I promise he’s a good listener, and he gives good advice! And if you don’t want to talk at all, that’s good too! We can play games, or not, we can watch a movie, or just take a shower- I mean, not _together_ , but you know, you could take one yourself, I’ll even let you borrow my strawberry-scented shampoo.”

Younghoon’s gaze lowered at his fingers, who had relaxed considerably in his lap. The shadow of a smile passed on his face, and he looked up again towards Eric.

“Thank you”, he mumbled sincerely.

Eric’s worried look turned into a relieved one. He got up from the booth, and walked to pick up his backpack from the floor. Next to his was Juyeon’s, which he handed over to his boyfriend.

Slowly, Younghoon stood up on his feet. He gathered his only belongings, his hoodie and his phone, putting the hoodie on and sliding the phone into his pocket.

With his backpack slung over his shoulders, Eric stepped in front of Younghoon, gauging the older’s expression carefully.

Younghoon glanced down at him. Eric raised an eyebrow, and Younghoon gave a faint but honest smile. Eric’s own mouth turned into a genuine smile, and he held out a hand for Younghoon. It took a few seconds for Younghoon to realize what Eric wanted, and he chuckled half-heartedly while grabbing Eric’s hand.

Juyeon watched the interaction curiously, fiddling with his keys in his hand.

Eric waited for Younghoon to start walking to follow besides him, adapting to the calm pace that Younghoon was setting, leading the three of them out of the break room, and slowly making their way into the hallway.

Slow walking wasn’t Eric’s favourite mean of transport, but for Younghoon, he’d make the effort. Actually, no. There was absolutely no fun in just walking.

Eric took a step back. He untangled his hand from Younghoon’s and grabbed the taller boy’s shoulders. The older stopped walking with a surprised yelp.

“Piggy back?” Eric asked, pouting adorably even though his friend couldn’t see him.

Younghoon chuckled quietly, and reached his arms backwards, giving a sign for Eric to jump on his back. He got no other warning before he felt Eric jump up, clinging onto him like a koala, and the impact almost made Younghoon lose his balance.

Younghoon grabbed the smaller boy’s thighs, and Eric secured his arms around Younghoon’s neck and shoulders, grinning happily.

From the side, Juyeon looked at the pair in shock. He shot Eric a warning look, and was just about to start scolding him, when Younghoon spoke up. “It’s okay, Juyeon-ah.”

Juyeon shook his head, about to protest that it was _not_ okay, that Younghoon wasn’t feeling well and that Eric shouldn’t just be jumping on sad people’s backs, when Younghoon interrupted him again.

“Really, Juyeon. Whatever he says about it, I’m still intruding on you guys. I owe him that, at least.”

Eric rubbed his face against his friend’s hair. “Don’t say that”, he mumbled. The gesture made Younghoon smile, and he readjusted his grip on Eric, making the younger jump up a bit.

And that was the moment when Juyeon realized, through a pang of jealousy in his chest, that this was exactly the Eric that he’d fallen in love with. Yes, the act was childish, and could be considered inappropriate had it been in any other situation, with different people. The fact was that Younghoon was unwell, and shouldn’t have to carry a nineteen-year-old on his back merely five minutes after having woken up from an uncomfortable nap, but this wasn’t just anyone, this was Eric, the little ray of sunshine, who somehow always managed to contaminate the others around him with his positive energy.

Maybe Juyeon wished for a split-second that Eric would have asked him for a piggy-back ride instead, just as an excuse to be closer to the younger, and to be the reason of his excited laughter every time he jumped up in sync with Younghoon’s exaggerated bouncy steps. Juyeon quickly brushed the feeling away. Younghoon needed the mood lift more than he did. And Juyeon realized that he didn’t have to be jealous, because, through more than just piggy-back rides, Eric had this energizing effect on him every day. Being around the younger always managed to turn his gloomy days into sunny ones, always managed to tear a smile out of him, to make his heart lighter. And this new realization made him fall even deeper for Eric.

They finally walked out of the restaurant, groaning as the freezing night air hit their faces. Juyeon locked the restaurant’s door behind them, and they all made it unharmed to his car, where Younghoon finally let Eric down onto the sidewalk. They both slid onto the backseat, while Juyeon took the driver’s seat.

When they made it to Juyeon’s apartment, Eric and Younghoon had both fallen asleep on the backseat, Eric’s head resting on Younghoon’s shoulder, and Younghoon’s head on top of Eric’s. Juyeon glanced at them with a fond smile. He reached an arm through the space between the front seats, placing a hand on Eric’s knee to gently shake the boy awake. Thankfully, Eric hadn’t fully fallen asleep yet, and he stirred up immediately at the motion, easily waking Younghoon up afterwards.

Younghoon was feeling slightly out of place when Juyeon asked him to sit on the couch. Juyeon had tasked Eric with making the hot chocolate he had promised their hyung, while he sat with Younghoon, at the same time trying to reach Jaehyun by text. While offering to take Younghoon with him, he had forgotten that Changmin had moved out, taking his unused bed with him. He was now left with two options; making Younghoon sleep in Jaehyun’s bed, the ideal choice, or on the couch, which would be too short to fit the older’s long legs. While he didn’t think Jaehyun would mind Younghoon sleeping in his bed, he wasn’t willing to risk a confrontation was Jaehyun to come back home the following day to a surprise sleeping in his bed.

While Eric was trying his best not to get chocolate syrup and melted marshmallows all over the kitchen, Juyeon put his phone on the coffee table, screen up, waiting for Jaehyun’s reply. Given that his best friend would give no sign of life, Juyeon had decided he would take it upon himself to allow Younghoon into the older’s bed, with a mental note to change the bedsheets for him before he’d come back. For now, he tried not to think too much about it, as he had a more pressing matter at hand.

Now both sleepy _and_ depressed, Younghoon looked even more pitiful than at the restaurant. He sat slumped over himself, his eyes trailing on the floor at his feet. Juyeon tried to swallow his awkwardness, trying not to think of the _what if_ s of choosing the wrong words, and turning towards his friend.

“Hyung, did something happen?” he asked, concern in his voice.

Younghoon bit at his bottom lip, and shook his head slightly. “I’m sorry to be worrying you guys like this... over something so little. It’s nothing, really...”

Juyeon wanted to shush him, tell him that it was nonsense, but he figured he should let his friend speak. Younghoon sighed softly. He turned his head, watery eyes meeting Juyeon’s. Juyeon nodded in what he wished to be perceived as an encouragement to speak. Younghoon nibbled at his lip again, and turned his gaze back on the floor.

“You know classes will be resuming soon, right?” he asked, but didn’t wait for Juyeon’s confirmation to continue. “My parents were so excited to sign me up for the classes they selected for me. They haven’t stopped talking about it in weeks. They even started saying that this year is going to be a though one, and they want to pull me out of my modelling agency, and they want to keep me from working at Flower Snack. I’m so tired, Juyeon.”

Juyeon hesitantly reached an arm around Younghoon’s body to hug him loosely. He figured he must have done something right when Younghoon leaned his head against his shoulder, relaxing a bit against him.

“I _told_ them that I don’t want to have anything to do with their stupid company, and they really didn’t take that well. I hate business school to the core, there’s no way I’ll manage to do another year! And now they want to stop me from doing the work I love? It’s so unfair, Juyeon!” Younghoon exclaimed, his anger resonating in his words.

Juyeon pinched his lips together, hugging Younghoon closer. Being a business major himself, he’d shared a few classes with Younghoon already, and of course he knew how unhappy his friend was. It was as clear as day he hadn’t been the one to choose his major, and now all of his bottled-up exhaustion about it was exploding.

“I’m avoiding home as much as possible, these days”, Younghoon confessed. “I stayed with Chanhee for a couple of nights, but now that his parents are back, I can’t do that anymore. His parents know mine, they’ll tell them where I am the second they see me. Why can’t I choose my own path? I make enough money from modelling to pay for my own studies, why can’t they just let me be? Why?”

Younghoon cried out in frustration, and Juyeon tightened his hold on him when he felt the older’s body choke up with sobs.

“It’s okay, hyung, they won’t find you here”, Juyeon said, unsure of the right words to pick. “You’re safe right now. We’ll find a way, alright? I promise you hyung, we’ll find a way to help you.”

Younghoon sobbed quietly, turning around to hide his face into Juyeon’s shoulder. Juyeon’s body stayed stiff as he let his friend cry against him, rubbing awkward circles over his back, and patting it occasionally in what he hoped to be a reassuring way.

Juyeon got Younghoon into a warm shower around half an hour later. Hearing the bathroom door close, Eric finally came tip-toeing out of the kitchen, hot-now-cold chocolates long forgotten. He saw Juyeon standing outside of the bathroom, and walked up to him, a worried frown on his face.

“Is he okay?” Eric asked.

Juyeon nodded. He cupped Eric’s head with one hand, and gently tangling his fingers in the boy’s hair in a way he knew would help ease the worries away even better than words. “He’s fine now. He’ll just need to stay here maybe for a couple of days, until everything gets sorted out.”

Eric nodded, breathing out in relief. They both moved to go sit on the couch, where Juyeon retrieved his phone. “Oh, Hyunjae finally texted me back”, Juyeon snorted. “Younghoon hyung will be able to stay in his room.”

Eric nodded. “Good thing we won’t have to share a bed with him then”, he grinned.

Juyeon nudged his shoulder with a laugh. They settled into a comfortable ambiance, cuddled up together on the couch and sharing stories to each other. Juyeon played with Eric’s fingers as the younger spoke excitedly, explaining to Juyeon something that had happened during his last hang out with Sunwoo.

Too engrossed in each other, they didn’t hear the shower turning off, or the bathroom door opening. Some movement behind Juyeon caught Eric’s attention, and he stopped his talking when he noticed that it was Younghoon coming up to them, twisting his hands together shyly.

“Sorry, Juyeon, I forgot where you said your spare toothbrush was” he said quickly, embarrassed.

Juyeon was quick on his feet, leading the older back into the bathroom.

Eric’s eyes narrowed on Younghoon’s outfit as they walked away. He was obviously dressed in some clothes Juyeon had lent him to sleep in. Since Juyeon and Younghoon were roughly the same height, Juyeon’s sweatpants and t-shirt Eric couldn’t help but recognize fit Younghoon perfectly.

Without a warning, Eric’s heart sank in jealousy at the thought of his friend in his boyfriend’s clothes. He remembered putting the exact same clothes on himself the previous time he’d come to sleep at Juyeon’s apartment, and seeing Younghoon wearing them shouldn’t hurt as much as it did.

He took a deep breath. Younghoon was a friend, a friend in need at that. Eric shouldn’t let his own insecurities play with his mind like that. And truth was, they were _Juyeon_ ’s clothes, not Eric’s, meaning Juyeon could do whatever he wanted with them.

Eric was still unconsciously pouting when Juyeon came back into the living room a few seconds later. He raised an eyebrow at the blonde-haired, stopping himself in front of Eric to lift him up to his feet. Before he’d lead them both towards his bedroom, Juyeon took an observing glance at Eric, who seemed to be lost in thoughts.

“Now why is my baby sulking?” Juyeon pouted right back at Eric.

The mimic immediately teared a laugh out of the younger, breaking his sulky expression. Eric gave Juyeon a smile and shook his head in hopes to push Juyeon’s worries away. He grabbed Juyeon’s hands in his own, and kissed the older’s knuckles.

Juyeon smiled softly at the gesture. Eric looked up, and Juyeon could see how sleepy he was behind the cheerful face he was making. Juyeon thought maybe he’d just imagined things, and the younger was simply tired. It had been a rough day, after all.

Juyeon tug gently at their intertwined hands, pulling them towards him. “Let’s just go to bed, yeah?”

Juyeon gave Eric a forehead kiss. He pulled the younger with him, crossing the apartment until they reached the door to his room. Juyeon pushed it open, and Eric immediately dropped Juyeon’s hand to flop himself down on the bed, on top of the messy bed sheets. He didn’t make any comment about how the room looked like it had been through a tornado, like he usually did whenever he came around and Juyeon hadn’t taken the time to clean up a minimum. Instead, he stretched his limbs out, and buried his face into the covers.

Juyeon thought he should go back to check on Younghoon, but the cute sight in front of him made his mind go blank. As Eric was settling deeper into the mattress, his head comfortably buried under his arm, Juyeon moved to his closet, rummaging through it to find something to lend the younger, so that he wouldn’t sleep in the clothes he had worked in. Juyeon was surprised Eric didn’t seem to care about keeping his dirty clothes to bed. While Juyeon didn’t care about that himself, it had always been something him and Eric had disagreed on.

“Baby, don’t sleep just yet, I’m getting you comfy clothes” Juyeon said as he was tossing some jackets aside to open the drawers inside his closet.

When he got no response, he worriedly spun around, only to find Eric’s head turned towards him, resting onto his arm, his nose buried in the crook of his elbow. He had an eyebrow raised, and the sulky look Juyeon had thought he’d seen him in earlier was fully back on.

“Youngjae-ah” Juyeon sighed. “Is there something wrong?” Juyeon shook his head at himself. “No, I _know_ there’s something bothering you. Why won’t you tell me?”

“You look good”, was Eric’s response, completely avoiding Juyeon’s concern.

Juyeon huffed as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Youngjae.”

“What, it’s true”, Eric replied innocently.

“You know what I mean”, Juyeon said. “And if you act like this, you’re only worrying me more.”

Eric’s face hid deeper against his arm, only his eyes peeking out to look at the older. “You’ll figure it out”, he mumbled, voice muffled by the arm against his mouth. “It shouldn’t take long.”

Juyeon was taken aback by the statement. So, there was indeed something wrong, but now he needed to figure it out on his own? Why couldn’t Eric just tell him? Out of all the problems couples could face, Juyeon had never expected _communication_ would ever be an issue for him and Eric.

He turned back to his closet, hiding a frustrated groan from the younger and focusing back onto the task he’d made a priority. Find clothes for his sulky boyfriend. Right.

Without thinking much, his hands pulled open the top drawer, and dipped straight into the left corner of it, where he kept his sleeping clothes. His movements abruptly stopped when his fingers came in contact with the hard wood of the bottom of the drawer, and his mind automatically spun as he finally recalled what he had done that had upset the younger. When he had thoughtlessly grabbed some pyjama clothes for Younghoon, he had accidentally taken Eric’s favourite t-shirt, the only one he’d ever slept in and had always insisted on stealing away every time after the first time Juyeon had picked it for him.

How he hadn’t realized what he had done was beyond him. Maybe because his worry for Younghoon had clouded his judgement, making him act on reflexes without thinking. And maybe he hadn’t realized what he had done even after seeing Younghoon in the shirt because, since Younghoon was taller, the image was just so completely different than the sight of Eric wearing it.

His mind rushed to try and find a solution, but nothing seemed to come to him. He couldn’t just go and steal the shirt back from Younghoon, that was totally out of the question.

His fingers hovered above the rest of the comfy clothes and underwear in the drawer. Most of the clothes he owned wouldn’t be soft enough for Eric to sleep in, or they would be too warm, Juyeon knew that Eric was used to sleeping naked at home.

Silently cursing himself, Juyeon pushed the drawer closed, and moved on to the one below it. As this one was mostly sweaters, Juyeon already knew he wouldn’t find anything in there; Eric never slept with sleeves on.

Juyeon sighed to himself. Going back to the upper drawer, he pulled out a random shirt – a worn-out black one he had used months ago as he’d practiced dancing, the color had faded with time and the collar had loosened up. The fabric still stayed soft, so Juyeon judged it would have to do for the night. He picked a pair of boxers and headed to the bed, Eric’s eyes still on him, suddenly making him feel even more guilty.

He sat down next to Eric on the bed. He placed the clean clothes in front of him, and Eric finally teared his eyes away from his boyfriend to observe the shirt and boxers. Reluctantly, he propped his elbow up, leaning on it to grab the clothes. He looked uneasy, and Juyeon wondered if he should say something, when Eric sat up, his legs crossed on the mattress.

“P-please look away while I change”, Eric stuttered.

Juyeon frowned, confused at the request. He gave Eric a worried look, but complied. He thought about asking if the younger would prefer him to leave the room, but since those hadn’t been Eric’s words, he decided on staying.

The sound of clothes shuffling and dropping to the ground let him know that Eric was indeed getting changed, on the bed a few centimeters behind him. The two boys remained silent for as long as Eric was changing, until Juyeon couldn’t hear any movement behind him. A few seconds passed by, before he felt Eric’s head leaning onto his back, and his arms came sneaking around his waist. Juyeon felt Eric’s breathing seep through his shirt, sending shivers down his back.

“It feels different”, the younger mumbled.

Juyeon brought his hands down to grab Eric’s, situated in front of his stomach. He squeezed them lightly. “What does?” he asked.

Eric wasn’t moving, and Juyeon hated that he couldn’t see the look on his face, but at least Eric’s tight hold on him let him know that the younger wasn’t really upset with him.

“The shirt”, Eric broke the silence. “I’m not used to it. This one is so big, but so small at the same time, it doesn’t... feel like it’s yours. I’m sorry hyung, this sounds so stupid.”

His voice felt smaller than usual, but Juyeon could feel all the insecurities hidden behind the younger’s short explanation. This vulnerable image wasn’t a side of Eric that Juyeon got to see often. With all the energy and the positivity that Eric exuded at any given time of the day, Juyeon realized that it was easy to forget that sometimes, Eric could be sensitive.

“Youngjae”, Juyeon whispered, “can I look at you?”

Eric breathed out. “Yeah”.

Juyeon slowly untangled Eric’s hands, and Eric’s grip around Juyeon loosened just enough for the older to turn around on the bed. He lifted his legs onto the mattress, crossing them just like how Eric was seated. Except, Juyeon was still wearing his dirty jeans and long-sleeved shirt, while Eric’s thighs were fully exposed, and the oversized t-shirt Juyeon had lent him was engulfing his small frame, dropping to cover the top of his thighs, but the loose collar was exposing his collarbones in a way that had the air knocked out of Juyeon’s lungs.

Juyeon took a few seconds to pull himself together, before holding Eric’s hands in his again, and he looked the younger in the eyes. “I’m sorry I gave Younghoon your shirt.”

Eric’s mouth opened, as if he was going to say something, before his lips slammed together again.

“This one looks good on you, though”, Juyeon said, smiling fondly as he watched Eric’s reaction, the boy’s cheeks reddening adorably.

Juyeon leant in, hands gripping on Eric’s bare thighs to keep himself up, eyes locked with Eric’s.

“I’m all yours, baby”, Juyeon pouted, “you don’t have anything to worry about.”

“I wasn’t worried”, Eric mumbled back defensively.

Juyeon raised an eyebrow at that. Eric laughed in embarrassment.

“Okay, I was, but–”

Juyeon closed in on the last centimeters between them, grinning against Eric’s lips when the younger let out a surprised noise.

Eric’s skin was burning up under Juyeon’s touch, his heart warmer from the attention he was receiving. It wasn’t every day he got to see this sappy side of Juyeon, but when he did come out, it made Eric dizzy in love, so much that he’d forget to breathe for as long as Juyeon’s deep eyes stared adoringly into his. The older had moved closer, pulling Eric’s legs in between his own crossed ones so that they could be closer.

That sudden urge of confessing his love suddenly crawled under Eric’s skin. As Juyeon begun pampering kisses all over Eric’s face, and down to his exposed neck and collarbones, Eric felt his heart thumping loud and clear against his ribcage, and the same desire of finally letting those meaningful three words slip past his lips as he’d felt back during the blackout at the restaurant overcame him.

But Juyeon had such a gentle hold on him, one hand holding both of his, and the other tugging delicately at strands of his hair. All of Eric’s worries, and also the warm feeling of being comforted drowned out the screaming of Eric’s heart, letting him sink into the moment. Both of them were too emotionally drained from their day, too unstable to be able to toy with their feelings any further. Just being with each other was enough, loving each other without labelling it was reassuring, soothing the fatigue of the day away. There would be a better time to confess.


	18. moving in

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Juyeon finally asks Eric to move in with him, and maybe they get a little emotional.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short and sweet, also incredibly cheesy - be prepared for, once again but what's new, lots of fluff and have fun reading!

As the days passed by, Eric really started to think it was about time he’d finally tell Juyeon he loved him.

He had been trying to summon the courage for what felt like years, after his first few failed attempts – and maybe this blockage in his mind really was the result of years of buried feelings that to this day made this whole thing somehow so difficult.

His heart would get uncontrollably bubbly just at the thought of finally confessing to Juyeon. They had been together for a month already, after all. Eric thought that their already close friendship prior to their relationship might have done something to the way they dated; they had felt more like friends, at first, even though they kissed and held hands. But they had now come to more than that. And although it was late, Eric found it was finally the perfect timing for him to confess – not too late into dating Juyeon, but right when the whole thing was starting to feel like a real relationship.

Juyeon’s mind, on the other hand, was wandering more on a practical side. The thought that Eric and him hadn’t exchanged their first _I love yous_ wasn’t worrying him. He knew they were going at their own pace, and that the moment would come when he would know that he could confess to the younger without fear of overwhelming him, or scare him off.

Instead of dwelling on the perfect way to confess, Juyeon was trying to come up with a good way to ask Eric to move in with him. The idea sounded extremely appealing to him, being able to have Eric close to him at all times, without the hassle of Eric having to constantly carry a backpack of essentials between his parents’ house and Juyeon’s apartment. School would be restarting in less than a month, and Eric was almost always at his apartment anyway. There wasn’t a more perfect time than right now.

Juyeon had ended his work shift about an hour ago, but was still lounging around in the break room. Eric still had four more hours to work, but Juyeon had promised to at least stay to spend the younger’s break with him. Then, he would come back to pick him up after the end of his shift.

The sound of the door creaking open made Juyeon’s head perk up from his phone. A smile automatically made a way on his face at the sight of Eric slipping into the room, with a plastic tray balanced in one hand. The blonde-haired carefully placed the food down onto the table, and playfully pushed Juyeon to make some space for himself on the booth seat. Juyeon eyed the tray, and immediately chuckled at the ridiculous amount of food there was on it. Seriously, there was so much it could probably feed two people.

“Someone’s hungry”, he teased as Eric sat down unnecessarily close to him.

There was still space for an entire other person on the other side of the younger boy, but Juyeon didn’t mind, wrapping an arm around the younger’s waist and laying his head on his shoulder.

Eric acted like he didn’t hear the older’s teasing. As Juyeon’s smile started to falter – he was cursing himself for saying such an insensitive thing to Eric, because maybe his comment made Eric feel self-conscious, and that’s why he hadn’t reacted, Eric was his own person and he could eat whatever he wanted, that wasn’t Juyeon’s business – the blonde grabbed a steaming-hot bowl from the tray, and a glass filled with what looked like dark iced-coffee. Before Juyeon could start wondering why Eric would ever get coffee for himself, the younger placed the dish and the glass in front of him.

“I got this for you”, Eric announced nonchalantly. “Thank you for waiting for me.”

Juyeon felt his cheeks redden up with the bright smile that Eric shot him. Eric never noticed how flustered Juyeon was, since he had already begun attacking his own lunch. In between bites, his mouth full with food, he started rambling about this ridiculously impolite customer he had just encountered, and excitedly telling Juyeon about how Hyunjoon had sassily put the poor guy back in his place. Juyeon stared at the younger, endeared by the sparkle in his eyes as he laughed at the events, almost forgetting to eat the noodles that Eric had prepared for him.

“-and when he was about to pay, Hyunjoon insisted that he would take care of it instead of me or Haknyeon hyung, and you should have seen the look on his face!” Eric cackled. “Hyung, are you listening?”

Juyeon hummed, a fond smile breaking through his stoic face. Eric paused to take a better look at Juyeon, before continuing with his story. Juyeon let himself fall entranced with the sound of Eric’s voice, ignoring his interior turmoil as he tried to find a proper way to ask Eric to move in with him.

Eric’s energetic flow was interrupted by the door opening. Eric and Juyeon both looked at the newcomer, Haknyeon, who stared back at them with an embarrassed look.

“Eric, I’m sorry, I know you’re on break, but there’s this family, they only speak English and I’m not really sure what they want”, he explained quickly, fiddling with his fingers.

Juyeon felt Eric’s warmth leave his left side as the waiter jumped to his feet. “Don’t worry, hyung! I’ve got this!” he exclaimed to Haknyeon, and the two of them disappeared into the hallway.

Today was the day, Juyeon decided in the ten minutes Eric was gone. Today was the day he’d ask the younger to move in with him.

When Eric came back, all excited from having been of help, Juyeon’s head started spinning with endearing scenarios of Eric coming back to their shared apartment from a day of school, or a day of work, or a hang out with friends, and how he would start telling Juyeon all about it with that same bright energy, and Juyeon would kiss the daylight out of him because hell, Juyeon was in love with him on so many levels.

The younger plopped down next to Juyeon, and opened his mouth to start talking again, but stopped himself half way when he noticed that the food in front of Juyeon had been left untouched. Juyeon, lost in thoughts, had totally discarded eating.

“Did I not make it right?” Eric pouted. “Is it too salty? I put too much cheese, is that it? Or I forgot–”

“Will you move in with me?”

The question left Eric speechless. His lips parted cutely in surprise. He stared at Juyeon with wide eyes. It took a few seconds before he shook his head, getting rid of the shocked expression on his face. “What did you say?” he asked, bewildered.

Juyeon laughed quietly, scratching the back of his neck. “I know we haven’t been together that long, but I feel like right now would be a good timing... only if you’re ready, of course! I’d love for you to move into the apartment.”

Eric stayed silent for what felt like an eternity to Juyeon, before he threw himself at his boyfriend, wrapping his arms around the older’s shoulders and nuzzling his face into his neck. Juyeon wrapped Eric in his arms, and couldn’t suppress the growing smile on his face.

“I would love to”, Eric managed to reply.

Juyeon squeezed the smaller body. “Whenever you’re ready.”

This was how they had found themselves, a week later, in the driveway in front of Eric’s house. Juyeon carried the last box that he had helped Eric make to his car, where he placed it on the backseat. Eric followed soon after, walking down the paved driveway with his backpack, his skateboard in hand, and a hat put backwards on his head. He looked like a little boy, and Juyeon was reminded once more of their – small – age difference when he spotted both of Eric’s parents at the door, watching their son reach Juyeon’s car. Eric’s mother wiped a tear as her husband hugged her from the side. Eric turned around to wave at them, and they waved back.

Eric looked at Juyeon excitedly. “So, are we leaving?”

Juyeon chuckled at the younger’s enthusiasm. “You’re ready? You’ve got everything?”

Eric nodded, and opened the door to the passenger’s side of the car. “It’s not like your apartment is really far from here anyway. I can always come back if I forgot anything.”

“Our”, Juyeon couldn’t help but correct.

Eric raised an eyebrow from the other side of the car, only his head being visible to Juyeon. “What was that?” Eric asked.

“ _Our_ apartment”, Juyeon repeated, feeling his cheeks burn up in embarrassment. “You live there now. You have already for a few weeks, to be honest.”

Eric smiled widely. Juyeon looked away shyly, swinging his car keys once in his hand. “Well, take me to _our_ apartment, then”, Eric demanded, and slipped into the car.

Juyeon bit his lips to hide his smile, and bowed quickly to Eric’s parents before getting into the driving seat. Eric had already hogged his phone onto the car’s audio system when Juyeon slammed the door shut. As Juyeon started the car, Eric selected _their_ playlist and put it on shuffle. Eric waved once more to his parents as Juyeon drove off.

The ride from Eric’s house to the now Juyeon-Eric-Jaehyun-Younghoon apartment wasn’t that long, but Eric couldn’t stop himself from bouncing in excitement. Not only was he moving out of his family house, but he was moving in with _Juyeon_ , his boyfriend. A warm feeling filled his heart at the thought of how living with Juyeon would feel. Not much different than all the times he had stayed over during the summer, really, but now he wouldn’t just be a guest, the apartment would be his home as well. Juyeon’s room would be _theirs_.

“We’re almost there”, Juyeon warned, even though Eric knew the way already, from having skateboarded it so many times. “Text Hyunjae and Younghoon hyung that we’re arriving.”

Eric grabbed his phone and texted both of the boys. If Eric and Juyeon had both asked Sangyeon to get the day off at the restaurant so that they could move Eric’s stuff, it had been a pure coincidence that both Jaehyun and Younghoon happened to not work during the evening. They had both offered their help – Younghoon had particularly insisted, after Juyeon and Eric had helped him officially move in almost two weeks ago. As soon as Juyeon parked the car in the underground parking, Jaehyun and Younghoon were rushing from the side to help them.

Eric didn’t have too many belongings, and the four of them were able to carry everything in one trip only – mainly thanks to Jaehyun, who had insisted on taking more than he was actually capable of carrying, resulting in a few accidents along the way.

Eric had been at the apartment the day before to help Juyeon clean his room and make some space for his things he was bringing. This made the whole process easier, as they just dropped the bags and boxes on the floor, and Jaehyun and Younghoon could go back to whatever they were doing in the living room immediately after.

Eric and Juyeon stood in the middle of boxes scattered all over the floor. Eric had taken the time to properly label each one of them, even though he didn’t have that many. He went for the box near him, labelled “school books and stuff” (Juyeon had carried that one), but he had barely lifted the lid that he felt a pair of built arms wrap around him, and pull him up. He was swung around until he was facing Juyeon, who was _pouting_ at him. Eric’s mind went blank for a few seconds.

“Boxes later”, Juyeon mumbled. “I’m hungry. I also want to cuddle.”

“Rule number one”, Eric laughed at Juyeon’s expression, “we don’t eat in bed.”

Juyeon groaned at that, and pulled the younger closer, so that he could rest his cheek on top of Eric’s hair.

“Hyung, what are you doing?” Eric protested, trapped against Juyeon’s chest. “We have to unpack!” He playfully hit the older’s arm.

“One box.” Juyeon tried to compromise. “One box, and then we eat.”

“At least two!” Eric exclaimed.

Juyeon held Eric tighter. “One.”

Eric started squirming into Juyeon’s hold. “Okay, one- you do one, and I do one.” Eric reasoned.

“Fine”, Juyeon gave in with a laugh. “I’ll do your school stuff.”

“I don’t even know what’s in there. They’re all new books.”

“Exactly, so it won’t matter if I organize them, since you haven’t used any of them yet.”

Eric seemed contented with the explanation. “Okay. Let me go”, he pleaded, the small whine echoing against Juyeon’s chest.

Juyeon let his arms drop to his sides, and Eric pulled away. He took a step back, completely forgetting the “school books and stuff” box that was right behind him. He was about to fall backwards, when Juyeon quickly gripped his arm, pulling him back to his feet. Eric felt his cheeks burn in embarrassment, the situation was awfully familiar to stuff he’d seen countless of times in those cheesy romance dramas he would never admit he liked to watch in his free time. But when was he going to watch his dramas now that he’d be rooming with Juyeon every single day of the week? Perhaps he could get Juyeon to watch them with him – the thought alone made Eric snort, Juyeon raising a curious eyebrow at the younger’s antics.

They eventually got to work, because Eric couldn’t stand the mess in the bedroom, and wanted to get the unpacking done as soon as possible. Juyeon dragged the box full with Eric’s school supplies over to his desk, which he wondered how sharing would work, when school would fully kick in and they’d both be drowning in mandatory readings. He had emptied a drawer for Eric, so he started to sort through his boyfriend’s things, trying to put everything in the sort of logical order that he thought Eric would like. One glance into Juyeon’s drawer would probably give neat Eric a heart attack, so Juyeon tried to be considerate and not give Eric’s books the same treatment as he did his.

Eric started with the biggest box, the one that held most of his clothes. He had helped Juyeon organize his closet in a way that would be able to fit more stuff, so he now had perfectly enough space to store his own things. As he hung his clothes next to Juyeon’s, he felt his heart sink in his chest. They were doing it, they were moving in together. And he hadn’t said _I love you_ yet.

The chilled music coming out of Juyeon’s speaker was the only sound filling the room. They were both working peacefully on different sides of the room, and if Eric didn’t think this was the most efficient way to unpack his things, he probably would have complained about their lack of interaction. But the music was doing enough, and if Eric concentrated hard enough, he could hear Juyeon’s soft humming to the songs, and that was enough to make him feel at home.

His last sweater folded and tucked into his dedicated drawer, Eric went to drop himself on the bed, laying on his back next to Juyeon. The older had finished with his own box way before Eric, and hadn’t bothered trying to help out, knowing that he would probably just mess with the detailed and tidy plan that Eric had in mind for his drawer.

When Eric laid down, he didn’t waste a second to come and cuddle up to Juyeon’s side. He tried not to look at the mess that the rest of the boxes was creating around the room, and focused on the way the sunset was making Juyeon’s face glow, how his eyes sparkled as they caught the light, how perfectly his plump lips were parted.

Juyeon’s head suddenly turned to the side to look at Eric, and the blonde almost forgot how to breathe. Their faces were so close that their noses were brushing, and in one swift movement, Eric’s lips delicately met Juyeon’s. As Juyeon hovered slightly above him, Eric’s head rested against the pillow. He brought a hand up to cup the side of Juyeon’s neck, his fingers digging into the boy’s dark hair. Juyeon supported himself with an elbow, and a hand on the mattress on the other side of Eric’s body.

As Juyeon separated their lips, Eric was mesmerized by the passionate look on his boyfriend’s face. It felt as if he was the center of the older’s world, just as much as Juyeon was the center of his. He could feel through his eyes that Juyeon truly loved him the same way that Eric did, he could see the mixture of the lustful fire, the tender love and the endearment in them all at the same time. For an instant, Eric wondered if his own eyes held the same glow, if he managed to show enough of his feelings to Juyeon, like Juyeon was so naturally showing his.

Eric’s fingers tangled lightly in Juyeon’s dark locks as he was getting lost in his eyes. Juyeon hadn’t moved an inch, despite his not so comfortable position, hovering over Eric with utmost care to not crush the boy under his weight. His intense gaze was set on Eric, making the younger melt from all the attention.

He gently pushed Juyeon back onto the mattress, so that their heads were both sharing the same pillow. Eric scooted closer and kissed the older again, still slow and delicate. As his lips moved in synch with Juyeon’s, his boyfriend’s tongue pushing against his so skilfully, so good it made Eric’s eyes roll to the back of his head behind his closed eyelids, and like this he knew he was ready to abandon himself to the man he trusted so much, the only one who had ever made him feel safe and on edge at the same time, who could make him feel good no matter the situation. And Eric could feel it build up inside of him once again, this overpouring of love for Juyeon, the absolute need to let the other know exactly how he felt.

Eric broke the kiss without a warning. He stared at Juyeon, ragged breath and eyes opened nervously wide. A hint of worry flashed in Juyeon’s enamoured eyes, and Eric desperately wished it would go away, because the last thing he ever wanted was for Juyeon to worry.

He took a deep breath, forcing his face into a relaxed expression, and the worry was gone in an instant. Juyeon was now sporting a lazy grin, that wasn’t even near any of those of Juyeon’s completely enticing expressions that could make Eric’s stomach flip, but it did. Juyeon was unreal, with his sunset-glowing skin, his dark hair slightly messy from Eric’s fingers, his lips red and wet from their kiss, waiting, parted invitingly for nothing but for Eric to claim them again.

He gulped, his gaze suddenly scared and wavering, feeling the words of his confession clog up his throat, threatening to come out all at the same time in what would surely be a chaotic confusion of words. He couldn’t let that happen – after _weeks_ of trying to pronounce such a simple sentence, he couldn’t ruin it by being so nervous, so _scared._ He had to be in control, make this moment perfect just like how he’d rehearsed it so many times, he had to–

“I love you.”

Eric blinked. He had said it? He could feel his ears ringing as the blood rushed to his face, his heartbeat accelerating out of control as the realization, and the panic dawned on him. There was no way he had just said it so easily, so carelessly, without even being conscious of it, but maybe the stress had made him act before his brain, maybe he had been so lost in his thoughts that his mouth had worked on its own, sensing it should do something to prevent the catastrophe that was brewing up from unravelling before his own eyes. But it wasn’t him who had spoken, it couldn’t be, his lips were still tightly shut in order to contain all the loving words dangerously close to coming out in such an ugly way

Oh. It hadn’t been him.

Juyeon’s eyes were still staring at him, this time nothing but soft and loving. Eric let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding, feeling everything crash down on him all at once. Juyeon loved him. Juyeon _loved him_.

His lips parted on their own accord as Eric wanted to reply, wanted to say it back with his whole heart, but the shock was too much, and he couldn’t squeeze anything coherent out of his brain, couldn’t make any sound at all, plunging the room into a crushing silence.

No matter the long seconds that passed, Juyeon didn’t flinch, didn’t look away, as he should have after his confession hung in the air, unreturned, for several long, painful seconds, almost an entire minute as Eric was desperately trying to process what was happening.

Juyeon was patient with Eric, he had always been. In the younger’s eyes, Juyeon could read Eric’s shock, his embarrassment, his nervosity flashing one after the other. He knew he had nothing to worry about. Eric loved him back, whether he was ready to say it or not, and that was okay. He’d wait forever if that meant Eric would be more comfortable, he’d be satisfied with whatever the younger was ready to give, because Juyeon was always ready, waiting with open arms to receive anything and everything that Eric would give him.

Eric’s eyes were entranced in Juyeon’s. He felt comfort in the emotions he managed to read, in all the love he felt emanating from the older. It was familiar, calming as he realized that nothing had changed in Juyeon’s gaze after his confession, they still held the same endeared sparkle that had been there all along. Eric blinked again, slowly. And when his eyes opened again, Juyeon was still there, still smiling fondly.

“I-I love you”, Eric stuttered out, and immediately felt like crying at how pathetic he felt for stumbling on his words, when there was only _three_ of them, only three, and he couldn’t even get them out properly.

He really had managed to ruin everything, in the end.

But the ugly feeling only resided for so long, as he watched Juyeon’s smile grow bigger, his eyes turning into those happy little crescents Eric loved so much, and in a second, their lips were meeting again. Eric felt Juyeon’s thumb wipe his cheek before he could even process what was happening, lone tears slowly streaming down his face as he kissed Juyeon, pouring his heart and soul into it. And Juyeon made him feel so comfortable, so loved, that Eric started to feel like he could be enough for Juyeon, that he _was_ already enough for Juyeon, since the older _loved_ him, and had said it before he could himself.


	19. meet and greet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That one day when Changmin is ready to do just about anything to save the restaurant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Long time no see? I can't even explain how disappointed I am for now uploading for three weeks when I had managed to be so disciplined with this fic up until now. I'm back to finish this well, though! We just have 5 chapters left after this one, and they're almost all done, you can expect more frequent updates once I'm done with school!
> 
> I've been leaving terrible hints at something being up with Kevin throughout the past chapters, and we're getting finally closer to it, if you were wondering (next chapter? maybe?)

“Well. I’m bored”, Eric sighed dramatically, draping his upper body onto the table in front of him.

Hyunjoon almost instantly nudged his head out of the way. The boy was sitting in the seat across from Eric, a sketchbook balanced on the edge of the table as he had taken the liberty to work on a custom piece for one of his customers. Eric sat back up reluctantly, and Hyunjoon stuck his tongue out at him.

Eric rolled his eyes, and shifted his gaze to his left. He regretted it immediately; Haknyeon and Sunwoo were sitting on two different chairs, yet almost on top of each other, and Haknyeon was giggling at something Sunwoo was whispering in his ear. Eric knew for a fact that the both of them definitely wouldn’t have been so openly touchy if only the restaurant had been filled with customers instead of it being just them.

“All right, kids”, a voice called for their attention. Changmin had stepped into the dining area, looking at each of them with hands on his hips. As the oldest in the store, Changmin was currently in charge of running the business.

Changmin being in charge was a rare occurrence, and the fact that business was currently running so slow, not to say that it was completely stopped, didn’t help ease the stress he felt at the responsibility on his shoulders. If anything, it made Changmin even more nervous.

He must have been doing something wrong for the day to be going so terrible, it was probably all his fault, and how would he ever be able to face Sangyeon after a day like this? To know that his friend had trusted him with his restaurant, and then to see his four younger friends all lazying _in the dining room_ , in full display for the few people who happened to walk by, only stressed Changmin out further.

“Can you at least have the decency to hide yourselves if you’re not going to work?” he nagged.

Eric sat up in half a second, visibly offended. “Hyung! I spent _one hour_ cleaning _every single_ table in here, I even scrubbed off all of the gums under them, then I followed Sangyeon’s plant-watering guide to water _all_ the plants, I even chased after the spiders in the flower wall to release them outside, what more do you want me to do?”

As Eric wrapped up his scandalized monologue, Sunwoo stood up, pulling Haknyeon with him. “Congrats Eric”, he said with a hint of sarcasm, then turning to Changmin. “We’ll take the hiding option, thank you very much.”

Eric watched, his jaw dropping as Sunwoo and Haknyeon left the dining room, and he caught sight of them disappearing into the hallway to the back store. In front of him, Hyunjoon remained unbothered, still drawing into his sketchbook. Changmin walked over to the two of them, putting his hands on the back of the chair that Sunwoo had just abandoned. 

“Eric-ah, Hyunjoon-ie, please help me”, he whined with a pout. “What’s Sangyeon hyung going to say when he finds out I’ve bankrupted his restaurant?”

Eric shrugged with a laugh. “I’m not a magician, hyung, I can’t make customers appear.”

Changmin looked over to Hyunjoon in despair. The black-haired boy’s eyes stayed focused on the page in front of him, his hand drawing small details onto the paper. “Ideally, you’d want loads of people to turn up here in the next minutes, hm? Are you sure that’s what you want?”

“Yes!” Changmin exclaimed.

Still not looking up, a smirk had now appeared on Hyunjoon’s face. “Well, we better call for backup right now. We’re holding you a meet and greet.”

Eric’s eyes widened at the idea as a loud gasp left his mouth. He glanced up to Changmin, who’s face had rapidly lost all color.

“B-but I can’t, I’ve got a new contract...” Changmin struggled to form an answer.

“Nuh-uh”, Hyunjoon chuckled, and finally placed his sketchbook and pen down. “You’ve said yourself, this new contract only begins next Monday. Now’s the time.”

Changmin’s gaze flickered between Hyunjoon and Eric, finally landing on the blonde-haired. “You agree with this?”

Eric nodded enthusiastically. “Sure! You need to meet your loyal fans before your new label takes you _really_ big! This is perfect!”

Changmin blinked a couple of times, and a discreet smile made its way on his lips. He grabbed his phone from his back pocket and sat down on Sunwoo’s empty chair.

“Wait”, Eric suddenly said when he noticed that Changmin had already opened his instagram app. “Shouldn’t you ask Sangyeon hyung, first?”

Changmin stopped all movements right there. From the other side of the table, Hyunjoon leaned backwards, crossing his arms over his chest. “Right, hyung, I think you’d need his permission first.”

“But I’m in charge today”, Changmin pouted.

“Doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want”, Hyunjoon chuckled.

Changmin sighed in defeat. “Okay, okay, I’ll call him, but I’m warning you two: not a word about bankruptcy!”

Eric and Hyunjoon both gestured to seal their mouths shut. Changmin dialed Sangyeon’s number, and the older picked up after the second ring.

“Hi, Changmin? Is everything okay?” his worried voice echoed through the speaker.

Changmin awkwardly cleared his throat. “Yeah, uh... I just wanted to ask your permission to... eh... hold a meet and greet? Here?”

His request was met by silence on the other end of the line. Eric could see the disappointment start to seep into Changmin, when Sangyeon spoke again.

“You’re going to be safe? Just make sure not too many people get in at once. Do you need me to come in to help?”

Changmin’s face broke into a slight panic. “No need, hyung, we’ll be safe! I promise! Enjoy your day off and don’t worry about us, yeah?”

A long sigh was heard on the other end of the call. “You’re asking a lot, ‘min, of course I’m going to worry about you guys. Just, if the other guys seem overwhelmed, you stop everything, okay? I know how popular you are”, Sangyeon’s voice turned to a teasing tone, “try not to make half of Seoul run to our restaurant, alright?”

Changmin chuckled. “I’ll put Eric as a bouncer to manage the traffic.”

Sangyeon gasped loudly. “Not Eric! Actually, none of the babies should be doing that!”

“Hey!” Eric and Hyunjoon complained simultaneously.

The room was silent for a few seconds, Changmin rolling his eyes at his friends as they waited for Sangyeon to speak again.

“You were listening?” Sangyeon’s voice came back, embarrassed.

“They _were_ , but now they both have to go back to work, we’re really busy!” Changmin pretended to shoo them away, making Eric bite down hard on his lips to not laugh out loud. “And _fine_ , I’ll call someone else in to be at the door. Everything is going to be safe, you don’t have to worry.”

Sangyeon hummed, as if he was doubting Changmin’s words. “Okay, have fun...” his voice trailed.

“We will! Thank you so much hyung!”

Changmin hung up the call, a victorious smile on his face. “Let’s do this!”

A few minutes later, Sunwoo and Haknyeon had been called back into the dining room. The five boys had sat around the same table, bringing their brains together to figure out how this meet and greet was going to work.

“What about you call Kevin hyung?” Sunwoo suggested. “I’ll need help in the kitchen if you’re going to be out here in the dining room, and your fans know him already. It could be cool.”

Everyone else nodded in agreement, while Changmin seemed hesitant. What Sunwoo had said made perfect sense, but he wasn’t so sure Kevin would be willing.

“Just ask him”, Haknyeon said. “At worst, he’ll say no, and we move on.”

Everyone nodded again, and Changmin was convinced.

“You’re right, I’ll call him.”

Changmin leaned back into his seat as he pulled his phone out of his apron’s pocket. His teeth nibbled with his bottom lip as he pressed Kevin’s contact, then bringing the phone to his ear. He kept his gaze onto the table, feeling too intimidated by the four expectant pairs of eyes on him.

“Hey baby!” Kevin cheerful voice instantly soothed his stress down.

“Hey Kev” Changmin replied. He was smiling like an idiot already, but he couldn’t care less about his immature friends snickering just a few feet away.

“How’s work?” Kevin asked.

Changmin cleared his throat to give himself composure. He shifted nervously in his seat.

“You don’t have to say yes”, was the line he chose to open the discussion with.

“I’m the one who asked a question though?” Kevin seemed puzzled despite the light-hearted laugh that followed.

His laugh, his adorable, bubbly laugh, immediately bringing one out of Changmin himself. “I know, I’m just warning you. You _can_ say no to what I’m about to ask.”

“I won’t say no if you’re asking me to marry you”, came Kevin’s blunt response, making Changmin choke on his breath. “Although I’d find you quite lame for proposing over the phone, Ji.”

“Yah, Kevin!” Changmin protested half-heartedly, laughing at the same time.

“Sorry, sorry”, Kevin giggled back. “So, what was it?”

Changmin took a deep breath in. He knew he didn’t have to be so nervous about asking Kevin to help out with the meet and greet, but he couldn’t help it; he knew, if Kevin accepted, that was, that he would be ten times more nervous about it than Changmin was, and _that_ thought of his boyfriend stressing out was stressing _him_ out.

“I love you”, Kevin’s gentle, yet teasing voice broke Changmin’s train of thoughts.

Changmin snorted. “I _know_ that, stop interrupting me, can you just let me _think_ – wait, I love you too– ugh, that’s not the point!”

Kevin laughed again, making Changmin’s heart race for a whole other reason than the stress.

“To answer your question, work is really bad, Kev’ it’s so bad that I think no one has come in in the past like, two hours?”

“Three”, Eric supplied from next to him.

Changmin brushed him off in order to continue his story. “I asked the guys what we should do because I don’t want Sangyeon hyung to be losing so much money because of me, and well we’re all kind of just wasting our time here, so Hyunjoon suggested we could– we could hold a meet and greet here, and Sangyeon said yes already, but if we’re gonna do this then we need help, and–”

“And what about asking your perfectly handsome boyfriend for help?” Kevin interrupted him.

“Essentially, yes, that’s what I’m trying to say”, Changmin admitted, back to nervously biting his lip.

“I mean, I don’t know, baby”, Kevin suddenly sounded more serious. “You know I’m not that good with this stuff, if there’s too many people, especially if they all know me, I don’t think...” Kevin sighed.

“You’d only be in the kitchen with Sunwoo”, Changmin said, voice small because he knew he was asking a lot from Kevin. “All you’d have to do is be cute and wave to people when they recognize you, but you’re cute already, so you don’t even have any effort to make on that part!”

He was met with silence on the other end of the line.

“Kebbie?” Changmin called softly. “It’s okay, you can say no. I still love you. And I’ll send you pictures of the meet and greet so you don’t feel like you’re completely missing out.”

“Whipped”, Sunwoo teased, earning himself a glare from Changmin.

“Oh and are _you_ not whipped, Sunwoo?”, Hyunjoon immediately asked his friend.

The little fight between his friends distracted Changmin from the silence on the phone, until Kevin spoke up, and he jumped slightly in surprise.

“I want to be there”, Kevin said. “This is important to you, and I want to be there.”

“But you don’t _have_ to”, Changmin argued. “Just knowing you support me is enough, I promise.”

“Are you trying to convince me not to come now?” Kevin giggled.

“No, that’s not–” Changmin groaned, running a hand through his hair. “You’re sure you’ll be okay?”

“I will”, Kevin replied, voice reassuring. “I’ll be there in ten.”

“Okay, great!”, Changmin smiled. “Be quick, I miss you.”

“Love you too”, Kevin’s voice sang as they hung up the call.

Eric couldn’t believe his eyes when, ten minutes after Changmin’s post on his Instagram story, a long queue had already formed outside of the restaurant, with people trying to get a peek inside through the windows.

Changmin had ended up being more nervous than Kevin, especially seeing just how many people had actually come to see him. He didn’t really know what he had been expecting, but it surely hadn’t been _that._

After Kevin had managed to reassure Changmin and pump his confidence back up, they had let the first group of people in. Just like Changmin had explained in his post, the only requirement for the meet and greet was that everyone had to order at least a drink, in order to imitate the usual functioning of the restaurant. To entertain the crowd, everyone had helped in coming up with little games for Changmin to play with his fans.

Eric had a lot of fun walking around and striking up conversations with the “Qties”, sharing little stories about Changmin merely to tease the older, who would come running to the table he was at and interrupt the stories by sending Eric away somewhere else.

He could see how Kevin had gradually gained confidence behind the kitchen counter, after having his name called multiple times. Now he was even chatting with the girls sat closer to the counter, looking comfortable despite the shy blush on his cheeks.

In the dining room, Haknyeon and Hyunjoon were pretty relaxed, doing their job as waiters, maybe acting just a little bit more casual towards the customers than how they did it usually. Eric hadn’t really had a look at Sunwoo, since he worked mostly hidden at the back of the kitchen.

Eric had been quick to notice that their new wave of customers was ordering way more actual food than they’d expected. He hadn’t been the only one to see that, all his friends did too, and soon Changmin had suggested to call Juyeon too. Juyeon appeared a lot on Changmin’s channel, after all, it only made sense he would be included in the meet and greet.

As Eric was busy carrying a tray full of freshly made food to one of the tables, some whispering caught his attention.

“Wait, is that Lee Juyeon?”

“I think it is!”

His boyfriend’s name started echoing all around the room, louder and clearer. Eric placed the food down onto the correct table, and let himself look out the window.

Standing out from the small crowd, unmistakable in his graceful presence, Juyeon had arrived, smiling shyly at fans who Eric could only see make little waves of the hand.

Had this been a few weeks prior, Eric just knew there would have been this uncomfortable feeling creeping up his chest at the sight of Juyeon being the center of so much attention, taking pictures with people _definitely_ a thousand times more good-looking than Eric himself. There would be this fear at the back of his mind that amongst those people, there would be one to make Juyeon realize that Eric wasn’t anything special.

But this wasn’t two months ago, around the time when Eric and Juyeon had started dating and Eric had struggled with feeling confident in their relationship. This wasn’t even two weeks ago, when Eric had spent a few days wondering if Juyeon really loved him in the romantic sense of the term and not just as a close friend.

This was a few days after their confessions, and Eric couldn’t have been more sure of his feelings for Juyeon, and of how much he trusted the older boy. Seeing Juyeon smiling and chatting at the fans outside only brought a genuine smile to Eric’s own lips. He knew Juyeon wasn’t the biggest fan of meeting strangers, not that he was especially bad at it, he just preferred keeping to his close friends. But there he was, taking the extra time outside of Flower Snack to meet everyone who wanted to meet him, because that’s how Juyeon was; incredibly kind and selfless, his generosity knowing no limit, and Eric loved him so much it hurt, but in the best way – it was almost scary how blindly he would trust Juyeon with _anything_ now.

It didn’t take long for Eric’s focus to be broken, once again by some whispering, this time coming from a few feet away; three younger boys sat at a table, seemingly stealing glances at him. Eric recognized them as the ones who had introduced themselves earlier as aspiring dancers, and they had seemed to be looking up to Changmin a lot.

“Excuse me”, one of the boys finally spoke at Eric.

Eric was a little surprised to be addressed directly, like he’d been caught spying on them, when in reality he had glanced their way for not more than a second.

He took the few steps forward that separated him from their table.

“Do you need anything?” he asked, grinning playfully. “Another story about Changmin– I mean Q hyung?”

Eric would never get used to that stage name.

“Are you Lee Juyeon’s boyfriend?”

The question caught Eric off guard. Not a single person so far had recognized him, not that he had expected them to. He hadn’t been on Changmin’s channel a whole lot, and had only been in a couple Instagram posts over the past year Changmin had been doing this.

“I mean it says _Eric_ on your name tag”, one of the young boys quickly stuttered upon seeing Eric’s surprised reaction.

Eric glanced down at his own chest, staring at the little plastic piece with his name on it.

“Junghwan, shut it, maybe they broke up”, one of them suggested quietly.

“They didn’t!” the Junghwan kid immediately protested. “Juyeon tweeted about him just yesterday.”

Just like that, all three pairs of eyes were back on Eric.

“Did he?” Eric asked curiously. He wasn’t much of a Twitter user, and he knew he hadn’t been on the app in a couple of days.

“Yeah!” Junghwan laughed excitedly. “It was something about getting your reaction to his and Q’s new cover before the official release.”

Eric raised an eyebrow at that. Juyeon had definitely been plotting about that behind his back.

“But you’re still dating him, right?” one of the kids asked shyly, his round eyes staring up at Eric.

Just as their third friend punched him playfully on the arm, Eric let out an offended laugh, keeping it light-hearted so that the three boys knew he was just playing with them.

“Of course I’m still dating him!” he chuckled.

An arm suddenly wrapped around his shoulders, making him yelp in surprise. He didn’t even have to look at the person standing next to him to know who it was; the look of utter shock on the three boys’ faces was enough of a hint.

“Who are you dating?” Juyeon’s teasing voice hit his ears like a wave of familiar warmth.

Juyeon giggled at Eric’s surprised expression, and didn’t wait for an actual response before he greeted the three boys, who eagerly greeted back.

It was cute, how they seemed just as fascinated by Juyeon as they’d been by Changmin.

“Would you boys mind if I borrowed him for a bit?” Juyeon asked, tapping Eric’s shoulder with the tip of his fingers.

“Only if you promise to be back!” Junghwan exclaimed, the other two nodding in agreement.

“Of course”, Juyeon smiled at them. “I just need to drop my things at the back”, he showed his backpack as proof, “and then I’d love to chat with you.”

The three boys were contented with the response, and Juyeon grabbed Eric’s hand to pull him with him as he made his way to the break room.

“Hyung, they were so cute”, Eric giggled once Juyeon shut the door behind them, and the loud chaos from the dining area was instantly blocked out.

“Were they?” Juyeon asked nonchalantly as he dropped his bag onto the table.

“You heard them!” Eric replied, leaning back against the door while he was waiting. “I took their order in the beginning, and then they called me again to ask if I was dating you”, he giggled, “it seemed like they were fans of you as well, you heard them! They were so cute when they saw that you were there, I’m not sure they were even that happy to see Changmin. They were _so cute,_ can we adopt them?”

Juyeon blinked a few times, his hands busy searching through his backpack. He quickly took his hoodie off, leaving him in a plain black t-shirt and his jeans.

“Am I cute?” Juyeon asked, turning back towards Eric.

Eric’s laugh stopped instantly. “What?” he asked, confused.

“You’ve never called _me_ cute”, Juyeon pouted.

The sight of his boyfriend in a plain t-shirt, arms on full display and broad chest hugged perfectly by the fabric, yet his lips curled down so adorably was making Eric’s mouth run dry.

“Hyung, you’re not cute, you’re hot”, Eric immediately countered, “it’s different.”

But the response he got from Juyeon wasn’t the one he’d expected. Mainly because he simply got no response at all.

“Hyung?” Eric asked after a while of Juyeon staying silent.

“I love you”, the older blurted out, pout still visible on his face.

As he spoke, Eric’s face broke into a smile. He closed the space between the both of them, and hugged Juyeon tightly. “I love you too.”

Eric felt Juyeon’s hesitation before he finally hugged him back, and Eric sighed contently, his face buried against Juyeon’s chest. Juyeon didn’t move an inch for as long as Eric kept his tight hold on him.

“You’re very cute, Juyeon-ie hyung”, Eric spoke, voice muffled by Juyeon’s chest.

Slender fingers running through his blonde hair let him know Juyeon had heard him, and the soft humming noise he made resonating through his chest made Eric buzz with warmth.

The pout on Juyeon’s lips had totally disappeared when Eric finally detached himself from him, instead replaced by a satisfied grin.

Eric pecked his childish boyfriend on the lips, quickly, catching him by surprise. He giggled at Juyeon’s reaction, and stretched his arm up to ruffle his hair. The gesture made Juyeon break into a wider smile, mirroring Eric’s.

“Did you have anything important to tell me or did you just drag me out of work for fun?” Eric asked, crossing his arms over his chest and looking at Juyeon with a pointed chin and a mischievous pout.

Juyeon’s eyes narrowed. “Is _I love you_ not important enough?” he smirked.

Eric immediately dropped his fake-offended act, a flustered expression painting his face instead. Juyeon loved how he could make Eric silent with a single sentence, how he could so easily overpower the boy who always teased everyone and somehow got away with it.

Juyeon took a step forward, while Eric was frozen in place.

“H-hyung”, Eric stuttered, “shouldn’t I go back to work? Or else Changmin hyung will tell Sangyeon hyung I took a bigger break, and Sangyeon hyung will get angry at me for not working hard enough–” he started to ramble, but was cut off by Juyeon.

“Well, I got here, didn’t I? I’m older than Changmin, doesn’t that mean I’m the one in charge now?”

Juyeon grinned at how even more flustered Eric got. He leaned down a little to kiss the younger. He didn’t feel Eric respond to it at first, but after a few seconds, Juyeon felt two hands shyly gripping at his forearms, and Eric’s lips moving along with his. Juyeon smiled into the kiss. He gently gripped Eric’s hips with his hands, and squeezed lightly. The sudden pressure made Eric gasp, allowing Juyeon to deepen the kiss.

The creaking sound of the break room door opening made the two boys part quickly.

Hyunjoon was standing at the door, eyeing the couple with an exasperated look before he quickly turned towards the kitchen.

“I found them!” he yelled, before turning towards his friends again. “Hyung, we called you here for backup, not to steal an employee away”, Hyunjoon scolded, not really angry at Juyeon but more like annoyed at Eric for leaving him and Haknyeon on their own.

Juyeon laughed sheepishly. “Sorry Joon-ie, we’re coming.”

Hyunjoon gave both of them a suspicious look, before he turned around and walked away. Eric brought his attention back to Juyeon.

“Why didn’t you tell him you’re the one in charge?” Eric teased.

Juyeon pulled a face in fake annoyance.

“You’re cute hyung”, Eric declared, “cute, cute, cute”, and immediately Juyeon’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink.

His reaction made Eric laugh happily, and like a chain reaction the sound brought a smile to Juyeon’s lips, and he focused on the fainting sound as Eric skipped away into the hallway.

A few hours later, Eric finally hung up his apron on the wall, and let out a victorious sound. Their day was done, the lock was on the door, and he could now finally go home. _Home_. The word sent butterflies all over his stomach.

His footsteps were light as he headed down the hallway. He had barely stepped into the narrow space when something about the partially opened door to Sangyeon’s office and the faint voices coming from inside the room made him stop dead in his tracks. Eric knew he should probably not be spying on his friends, but his curiosity got the best of him.

He tip-toed closer to the door, until he was able to see everything inside the well-lit room. Turning his back to him was Changmin, and standing in front of him was Sangyeon, his face hidden a bit by Changmin’s lean figure.

Despite saying he trusted his friends, Sangyeon had stopped by the restaurant towards the end of the meet and greet event, just to make sure everything had gone well.

Changmin seemed to be the one speaking, but his voice was too muffled for Eric to understand anything. Eric squinted, trying to make up what was happening, when he saw Changmin shifting a little on his feet. The dancer then bowed slightly, and held out something to Sangyeon, which the older looked down at, a few seconds passing, before he held out his hands to take it.

If Eric had been unable to understand Changmin, the words seemed to have hit right home in Sangyeon. Eric suddenly saw the older wrap his arms around Changmin, his chin coming to rest onto the younger’s shoulder. He didn’t seem to notice Eric, as his eyes were tightly shut into the embrace.

Behind Changmin’s back, Eric saw that Sangyeon’s knuckles had turned white as he was clutching strongly at some piece of dark fabric – an apron, most likely Changmin’s, Eric realized in shock.

“Of course not, ‘min, of course not. Don’t worry about me, this is such a great opportunity for you. I’m so _so_ proud of you.”

Sangyeon’s voice was shaky as he replied to his friend and squeezed him in affection. His eyes were still closed, but Eric could see the pain on his friend’s face with each word he spoke, his lips contorted as if he was trying really hard not to cry. “Thank you Changmin-ie. Thank you so much, for everything.”

When Sangyeon’s eyes blinked open, Eric caught the glimpse of a tear rolling down his cheek. With wide eyes, Eric took a step back, and left the scene almost running. Sangyeon was crying? The image stayed imprinted in Eric’s mind. He had never seen his older friend cry, not even of laughter or out of joy. He thought he could guess the reason behind Sangyeon’s tears pretty accurately, but the picture remained a big shock to him.

Now that he knew today had been Changmin's last day as a Flower Snack employee, everything made much more sense; from just how panicked Changmin had been about the ridiculously slow beginning of their day to how nervous he had been for everything to go well for the meet and greet. 

Sure, Eric knew he would be seeing Changmin again, they were friends, afterall, but some part of him already missed the older dancer, already wishing he could have one more day to walk into the restaurant to be greeted by the boy's sunny smile, and be able to hear his heartfelt laughter from the depths of the kitchen, a pleasant background noise he now realized he had taken for granted.


	20. the fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Eric, turn on the fans, please!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: panic attack  
> now that i've got your attention, let me elaborate: this chapter is in part inspired by real events that happened to me. to this day i never found out if i did have a panic attack, or something else, but this is the closest term i found to describe it. so what is depicted in this chapter might not be exactly a panic attack, but it is something close to it. if you feel uncomfortable reading about things like that, please do skip this chapter! i find that it is not really really bad since it isn't written in a first person pov, but it could still be triggering to some people, you know yourselves! if you want to see if it's alright for you to read, i promise it doesn't happen all of a sudden, there are signs gradually building up to it, so you can stop reading only when it gets too much, if you want.
> 
> that being said, i will be leaving a summary of the chapter in the end notes for anyone who wishes to skip this! i know it's not happy-go-lucky like the chapters i usually write, but i think i have a thing for making characters suffer now haha
> 
> and one last thing before i let you go on reading: my finals are all done now, which means i'll be uploading the last four chapters before the end of the year! (i've also been re-reading the older chapter and noticing the horrendous amount of typos i've made in them, so that will be corrected at one point as well)

It started out as a subtle breeze, a subtle hint of _something weird_ in the air, that Eric had quickly brushed off at first. The odor persisted, and if Eric did his best to ignore it, it was still annoying. He was trying to focus on doing his job, but his nose kept picking up on the strange smell, making him frown unconsciously.

When he walked over to the cash register, Jacob nudged him.

“What’s up with you?” he had asked. “Do you have allergies I’m not aware of? Are you sick?”

As much as Eric wanted to ignore the smell, he had to make sure that it wasn’t just his mind playing tricks on him. The previous week had been rough, since he was officially starting university a week from now, and all the preparations and the stress definitely took a toll on him. Maybe he was just imagining things, and the air in the small restaurant was perfectly fine.

“Do you not smell it?” he had countered Jacob’s questions.

“Smell what?” Jacob had asked, visibly confused.

Eric had sighed, shaking his head in hopes of chasing the fatigue away. “Forget it”, he had mumbled, and had continued on his way to the cash register.

It was five minutes later, and no matter how desperately Eric tried to convince himself that there was nothing weird in the air, it felt as if the smell had only intensified. It was now clouding his mind, so much that he couldn’t think about anything else other than the strong odor.

He leaned onto the counter separating the dining room and the kitchen, and almost coughed at how intense the smell suddenly became. Chanhee looked at him weirdly.

“Dude, try not to throw up on the food, thank you very much”, he scoffed in disdain.

“Hyung, do you really not smell it?” Eric asked, and was met by the same look of confusion that Jacob had given him earlier.

Chanhee sent him a glare, before returning to focus on the pan in front of him. “Now is not the time for pranks, Eric.”

_Did you ever say there was a time for pranks?_ Eric wanted to taunt, but he was hit with another wave of strong smell.

“I’m serious, hyung, it stinks so bad, my head hurts. Do you not smell _anything_?”

“I smell a lot of things”, Chanhee sighed. He dropped his spatula, now giving Eric his full attention. “I work in a _kitchen_ , with tons of different food around, if you want to know what stinks you’re gonna have to be a little bit more specific. What exactly do you smell?”

Eric’s eyes narrowed. He tried to pick up on the odor again, focusing on it to try and recognize what it could be.

“It smells like... like...” he trailed, frowning. His eyes widened in realization. “Like something’s burning.”

Chanhee cocked an eyebrow. He lifted his nose in the air, taking a deeper breath. His jaw dropped, and he looked back at Eric.

“You’re right, what the hell”, he said, voice wavering in panic.

He turned to Kevin, who seemed to be in his own world, despite being only a few centimeters to Chanhee’s left. Chanhee tapped him on the shoulder, finally bringing Kevin’s attention to them.

“What about you? How come Eric is the only one who realized? Do you know what’s burning?”

Kevin looked surprised. “Something’s burning?”

Chanhee sighed in exasperation. “ _Yes_ , Kevin, did you not listen–”

“Uh, guys?” Jaehyun’s voice echoed from the back of the kitchen. “Did any of you just burn something?”

At this point, Eric had completely forgotten that the handful of customers in the store could still hear them, and that they could probably smell the burning as well, as the odor had once again intensified. Had he realized, he would have done something to make sure that no one would worry, or panic. But the thought never crossed his mind.

Chanhee was quick on the move. He inspected his working area once again, only to come out with the same conclusion: nothing seemed burnt. He shooed Kevin away to look at the dark-haired boy’s station, but still found nothing. He frowned. Lifted his nose up in the air again. Sniffed a couple of times.

Suddenly, he gasped, snapping his head back to its normal height, turned around and walked away with a determined pace. Eric leaned even more onto the counter so that his eyes could follow Chanhee all the way to the back of the kitchen, on the opposite side of Jaehyun’s working station. Towards the right side of the kitchen, in the bar section of it, was the now brown-haired boy’s target: the oven.

Chanhee had the reflex to put on one of the oven mitts before touching the oven. The device didn’t look like anything suspicious, but Chanhee never left anything to chance, always taking more precautions than not.

In one swift movement, he swung the oven door open using his covered hand. Red light instantly pierced through the darkness of the kitchen. It was only for a second that Eric was able to see the blazing fire inside of the appliance, lighting Chanhee’s face up. The boy immediately let out a short yell, before he slammed the door shut.

Jaehyun ran up to him in an instant. “Are you okay?” he asked. “Are you okay?”

“ _What’s going on?”_ Eric jumped at the English voice next to him. He had never seen Jacob walk up to him, but the older was right beside him, squinting as he tried to peek into the now-dark-again kitchen.

“ _T-there’s_ a fire” Eric stuttered, still in shock at how intense the fire had looked. In his state, he’d spoken in half English, half Korean. He had definitely chosen the wrong word to blurt out in Korean.

A wave of panic immediately swept over the customers sat in the dining room, the word “fire” only confirming the suspicions that they already had due to the smell of burning in the air. Jacob only blinked once, before he left Eric’s side to try and calmly make all of the customers evacuate the restaurant.

“Should we call the fire department?” Jaehyun’s strangled voice was heard.

“Relax, it’s a baby fire” Chanhee rolled his eyes and pressed a few buttons to turn off the oven. “It will die on its own, give it a few minutes.”

As Chanhee was too busy dealing with the oven, he didn’t notice that Jaehyun wasn’t listening anymore. Eric saw Jaehyun run into the dish-washing room. He came back a blink of an eye later, brandishing the fire extinguisher in front of him. “Okay, everyone step back, I’ve got this!”

“Hyunjae–”

“You open the door from the other side, just stay away and I’ll spray it, alright?”

“You have no idea how fires work, do you?” Chanhee mockingly raised an eyebrow as Jaehyun was slightly trembling in front of him.

Chanhee’s unexpected calm towards the situation cooled Eric down, prompting him to shout a snickering “Let him have his hero moment, Chanhee!”, his eyes blown-wide as if he was watching an action-thriller movie and not his friends trying to dominate an element stronger than them.

Chanhee let Eric’s honorific slip-up go, instead scoffing at the comment and moving to the other side of the oven door. His oven mitt still on his hand, he carefully wrapped his fingers on the door handle. Jaehyun’s back was facing Eric, but the younger could see that he was taking deep breaths in to try and steady himself.

“Hyunjae hyung”, Chanhee tried one last time, “nothing bad is going to happen if we just wait a few minutes–”

“No, I’m doing this! Okay, one, two...”, Jaehyun counted, before taking a sharp inhale, “three!”

Chanhee quickly opened the oven door, and the light from the fire shined through the room once again. Jaehyun instantly started spraying directly inside the oven, never stopping until the flames were completely out.

The restaurant fell silent for a few seconds. Everyone seemed to be holding their breaths, until Eric heard some coughing from behind him. He whipped his head around to see Jacob, covering his nose with his shirt.

“I can’t believe none of us saw anything”, he pointed at the ceiling. “Look how thick the smoke is!”

Eric imitated him, bringing his t-shirt up over his nose. “What about the fire alarm? Why didn’t it go off?”

Jacob had started walking towards the windows, but halted his steps at Eric’s words. “I’m not too sure. I’ll ask Sangyeon about it.”

He finally crossed the restaurant, and began opening the large windows to aerate the place. “ _Eric, turn on the fans, please?”_

Eric nodded, and walked towards the kitchen, where the control buttons were. He entered the room, and immediately noticed how his friends had gathered near the counter, where Kevin hadn’t moved ever since... the last time Eric had paid attention to him. The fire extinguisher laid abandoned on the floor in the middle of the kitchen.

Eric pressed a few buttons to turn on the ceiling fans, and walked over to his friends.

“What happened?” Eric asked, slinging an arm around Chanhee’s shoulders, and one around Jaehyun’s.

The brown-haired quickly shoved him off, but Jaehyun pulled him closer, sneaking an arm around his waist. Eric happily nestled into the taller’s side. 

In front of them, Kevin’s face had paled about ten shades. “I-I don’t know”, he stuttered. He was apparently the only one who still hadn’t recovered one bit from the shock, as his eyes were still wide opened. He blinked. “I’m the last one who used the oven, but I can’t remember how I could have caused a fire”, he spoke, voice betraying just how shaken he was.

Chanhee placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay Kev’, there’s no fire anymore. I’ll go check if I can find what caused it, alright?”

Kevin nodded, and Chanhee walked towards the now cooled-down oven. Kevin took a long but shaky breath in, trying to calm himself down. His fists were clenched down his sides, and he had pinched his lips together. Eric’s attention was suddenly taken away from the Canadian’s odd behaviour when he felt Jaehyun pinch his cheek, while his other hand, that was wrapped around him, was tickling his waist.

“So I guess our Eric-ie is more reliable than the smoke detector?” he spoke with a babying voice.

Eric couldn’t help but laugh at the tickling that had moved to under his ribs. He squirmed, but Jaehyun was holding him firmly. “Hyung”, he panted through his laugh, “let me go!”

Jaehyun chuckled, ruffling his hair and finally dropping his arm from around Eric, stopping the tickling at the same time. Eric punched him in the arm, and Jaehyun gripped at himself with a yelp. “Yah! I just saved you from a literal fire that could have burned the whole place down, and you with it! Be a bit thankful!” he shouted unnecessarily loud, but it only made Eric laugh.

In front of them, they hadn’t noticed that their interaction only made Kevin feel even more guilty than what he already felt. The Canadian’s breaths had shortened, no matter how hard he was trying to will himself to just _breathe in, breathe out_. The reminder that he really could have caused some serious danger for his friends sent him into an even more panicked state.

As Jaehyun smacked a laughing Eric in the chest, the younger noticed Jacob, still in the dining room. The older was pacing around, on the phone, probably to Sangyeon. He was nervously running a hand through his hair – knowing Jacob, Eric thought, the older must be feeling terrible that something so bad had happened under his watch.

Chanhee was then back with them. Eric and Jaehyun quickly stopped their quarreling to look at the brown-haired boy.

“Well, those cookies you were trying to bake are definitely not edible anymore, although we could still feed them to Eric to avoid wasting them”, Chanhee tried to joke to make Kevin feel better. “Just, next time, don’t cook the mitt with them, yeah?”

Kevin’s face, that had been in a frozen state of shock until then, was now completely blank as he seemed to be processing what he had done. Jaehyun didn’t waste a second to erupt into laughter, Eric soon following into it, completely overlooking the fact that Chanhee had blatantly laughed at _him,_ in order to laugh at the absurdity of Kevin’s mistake.

“Who said Kevin was one of our best cooks?”, Jaehyun laughed.

The question made Chanhee choke on a laugh, that he desperately tried to hold back, for Kevin’s sake. He brought a hand up to cover his mouth, although his crinkled eyes weren’t fooling anyone. As he was holding his hand up, Eric suddenly had a look at the older’s usually pale arm, noticing a dark patch on it.

“Hyung, what’s that on your arm?” he asked, curiously taking a step forward to have a better look at it.

Chanhee automatically yanked his arm down, hiding it from view. “It’s nothing!” he quickly exclaimed.

Jaehyun frowned with concern. “Chanhee, did you get hurt?”

Chanhee violently shook his head, but Jaehyun wasn’t backing down. Using of his greater strength, he grabbed the brown-haired’s arm, and lifted it up. He gasped, and Eric took another step closer to look at it. What he had seen was in fact a bright red circle on Chanhee’s forearm, right above his wrist where the mitt he had been wearing had stopped covering his skin, and Chanhee hissed in pain when Eric grabbed him to look at it.

“Oh my god, hyung, did you burn yourself?” the younger asked.

At that, Kevin almost fainted. Almost.

Instead, his legs gave in and he sank to his knees, clutching at his chest with both of his hands. His erratic breathing reached the three other boys’ ears like a slap into reality, and they halted all movements to stare at him in panic.

“Jacob hyung!” Eric shouted, effectively catching Jacob’s attention. Jacob noticed it must have been a serious matter by looking at his friends’ faces.

“Okay, babe, I think something just happened– just drop by if you can, we won’t be opening soon anyway. I gotta go. Love you”, he said, then pocketing his phone and rushing over to the kitchen.

His gaze instantly fell onto the crouched-down boy on the floor. He kneeled down next to him, at a distance, his hands hovering hesitantly over him. “ _Kev, it’s me_ ”, his voice was calm as he spoke to his best friend. “ _Breathe in with me, will you?”_

A choked-up sob was heard, and Kevin’s tears started dropping onto the tiled floor. Jacob looked up at his friends, and gestured for them to move back. Eric, Chanhee and Jaehyun all took a step back, but didn’t immediately leave the kitchen. Eric’s heart was racing, breaking a little more at each pained cry that Kevin let out.

Jaehyun placed a gentle hand onto Chanhee’s shoulder. “We should go take care of your arm”, he said. The younger was too shocked to oppose any reaction, and let himself get dragged away by Jaehyun, who pulled him into Sangyeon’s office, where the first-aid kit was.

“ _It’s okay, Kevin, you’re safe. I’m with you, please, breathe with me”,_ Jacob’s voice sounded calm, despite how scared he was. He had shared an apartment with Kevin for many years, had helped him through so many breakdowns and panic attacks, but this had to be one of the worst ones he’d ever seen, and Jacob knew it was the result of too long of a build-up, of Kevin bottling up everything for most likely weeks now, and today was the final punch that broke down his carefree front, letting everything resurface and plunging him down the hole of emotional distress he held on so hard to stray away from. Jacob knew, and yet he’d watched it all happen without being able to stop Kevin from spiraling down.

Despite being already so close to the floor, Kevin’s body suddenly gave in completely. He collapsed forward, and if Jacob hadn’t been there to catch him, he would have hit his head right on the floor. Jacob gripped his friend in the gentlest way he could, leaning the black-haired onto his chest, and started running soothing circles around his back.

It always broke his heart to see his best friend like that, and knowing the best he could do was just to sit with him until he’d calm down mostly on his own. Through time, Jacob had learned that there wasn’t much he could do, simply let the wave of anxiety roll off Kevin, and hold his hand until the younger would start breathing normally again.

But this time, things were a little different. Jacob knew the prime cause of Kevin’s distress, that very specific piece of the puzzle that had everything else gravitating around it, that one element that made everything else feel ten times worse.

Jacob looked up at Eric.

“ _Call Changmin_ ”, he instructed. Eric didn’t have to be told twice.

The blonde walked farther away, finding a hiding spot into the dish-washing room, aiming to talk to Changmin without Kevin hearing. He doubted that, in the state he was in, Kevin would have been able to register his words anyway, but he figured he’d try not to overwhelm the older with sounds.

Changmin didn’t answer on the first call. Nor did he answer on Eric’s second try.

Eric wasn’t one to give up easily, and he called once again, until, just as he thought he would get sent into the dancer’s voicemail again, the older boy picked up.

“What is it?” Changmin asked right away, harshly, sounding a little out of breath.

Eric only then remembered that Changmin’s new dance contract had started just this week, and that his friend had been locked up in his studio for almost as long, if not to go to his apartment to sleep a minimum.

Kevin did mention he had seen Changmin for a grand total of ten minutes in the entirety of the week, that one morning he had woken up early enough to catch the dancer leaving their shared apartment in a rush. He had said Changmin hadn’t even looked at him, running out of their house with his shoelaces untied and his half-zipped bag hanging off his shoulder.

Eric had been a bit sad when he had officially learned that Changmin had to quit Flower Snack, but he knew it was for the better, and after this hectic first week, Eric definitely understood why Changmin would never have been able to do both jobs at the same time like he did before. Although, as the wheels in his brain started spinning, he wondered just how badly this situation must have been affecting Kevin.

“Sorry hyung, were you busy?” Eric asked, then mentally slapping himself.

_Of course he’s busy, idiot._

“Kinda, yeah”, Changmin sighed. His breathing seemed to be coming back to normal, but he sounded a little annoyed.

“I hate to bother you because I know how hard you’ve been working, but we’re kind of in a situation right now”, Eric began to explain, but Changmin cut him short.

“Eric, I’m really sorry but I don’t have all day, just get to the point? Please?”

“It’s Kevin”, Eric said.

The sudden silence on the other end of the call let him know that he’d caught Changmin’s full attention. “I don’t know what happened– actually, I do know, but it’s kind of a long story, Jacob said to call you, it’s really bad and you need to come as soon as you can.”

“I can’t just leave like this, I–” Changmin groaned.

“He’s literally on the floor” Eric whispered, “please, you have to.”

He was met by silence for a few seconds, before he heard some muffled noises, and some distant voices. He tried to take a listen, but Changmin quickly came back on the phone.

“I’m leaving, right now. Stay on the line and tell me what happened.”

Changmin arrived at the restaurant ten minutes later, all updated thanks to Eric and worried out of his mind. He barged into the store, the little bells above the door clinking in protest. He ran into where Kevin was still leaning limply onto Jacob, who did his best to whisper comforting words to him in English. Eric, Chanhee and Jaehyun, now all sat into the dining room, waited helplessly.

Eric scrolled absentmindedly on his phone, not focusing on its content for one bit as he was too worried for Kevin to think about anything else. The three boys were sat in silence, not knowing what to do, but wanting to be ready in case they were needed for anything. Jaehyun was blankly staring into space, and Chanhee was simply picking at his bandaged arm with guilt written all over his face.

Eric’s head perked up when the entrance door’s bells rang again. This time, it was Sangyeon who came in, panicked dad mode activated. He immediately spotted the three boys around the table, and walked up to them. “Is everyone okay? What happened? Where’s Jacob?”

A particularly loud and heart-wrenching cry caught Sangyeon’s attention. His head whipped towards the kitchen.

“What’s going on?” he asked in worry.

“I think Kevin is having, or had a panic attack”, Chanhee explained. “We called Changmin. They’re still on the kitchen floor with Jacob.”

“I think you might not want to talk about the fire too loud; I think Kevin feels really bad about it”, Jaehyun further informed the oldest.

If only Jaehyun knew that the fire was pretty accurately the last of Sangyeon’s worries. The older seemed torn between going into the kitchen, or staying powerless in the dining room. His eyes travelled back and forth between both options, before he sighed in defeat and took a chair next to Eric.

“You guys mind telling me what happened?” he asked again, lowering his voice this time.

The three boys ran him through the events, helping each other out with the details. Sangyeon nearly flipped out when he finally noticed the bandage on Chanhee’s arm, and his worries tripled at the part about Kevin.

The news about the fire had spread quickly, and soon their group chat was making Eric’s phone buzz every second with a new text message. Distracting himself from the discussion his three friends were having in hushed voices, he unlocked his phone and logged into the group chat. Jaehyun had been the one to send the news to everyone, staying vague but reassuring everyone that it had been a minor incident. Still, a fire was quite shocking news to everyone, and the lack of details coming from Jaehyun only had everyone speculating faster than their minds could process what they were typing.

Juyeon must have noticed that Eric had opened the group chat, because he texted Eric privately only a few seconds later.

**juyeon** : hey baby

Eric’s heart never failed to skip a beat at the pet name, even though it was only written.

**eric** : hi!!!

**juyeon** : are you ok?

Eric’s eyes rolled, but the concern had him smiling faintly.

**eric** : don’t worry about me, I wasn’t in the kitchen

**eric** : I guess hyunjae hyung didn’t want to tell the group chat to not alarm everyone, but only chanhee hyung got burned a bit, but he’s ok now

**juyeon** : is the restaurant still closed? That’s why you’re on your phone?

**eric** : yeah, even though the fire is out, there has been a situation... we can’t really open right away, sangyeon hyung himself had to turn customers away

**juyeon** : ???

**eric** : I can’t tell!

**juyeon** : it must be pretty serious if sangyeon hyung won’t open

**eric** : it is...

**juyeon** : ...

**eric** : ok, it’s about kevin.

**juyeon** : what about kevin?

**eric** : i’m not telling!

**juyeon** : ...

**eric** : he started the fire.

**juyeon** : kevin?

**juyeon** : we’re talking about kevin moon?

**eric** : yeah... and chanhee hyung said he’s having a panic attack because of it. he felt super bad, and he hasn’t stopped crying since, we even called changmin hyung from his studio

**juyeon** : oh poor kevin :(

**eric** : wait, they’re taking him out of the kitchen

**juyeon** : they?

**eric** : changmin hyung & jacob hyung

**juyeon** : i’m glad to know you’re ok, pls keep me updated, i love you

**eric** : i’ll see you at home!!

Eric locked his phone, and put it away quickly.

Jacob and Changmin were each holding one of the kitchen doors open with one hand, using their other arm to support Kevin, who was barely standing on his own feet. His face looked almost lifeless, and the sight was so disturbing to Eric. He wished with all his heart that Kevin would suddenly spring his head up, and shoot him his signature smile, shouting a “surprise!” and revealing that it had all been a prank. But, that never came.

The boy’s dark bangs were stuck on his forehead by sweat, covering his eyes a little, but even then, Eric could tell that they were only slightly open. Kevin looked exhausted – who wouldn’t, after crying all of the tears out of his body.

The trio difficultly made it past the doors, and took small and slow steps towards the exit.

“We’re almost there, love”, Changmin said. “Stay with us, please, we’re almost there.”

While Changmin’s attention was all on Kevin, Jacob shot the group sitting down a look. “Changmin will take Kevin home. If one of you could help, we’re getting him to Changmin’s car.”

All of the boys did want to help, but Eric was the quickest on his feet. He jumped over to the entrance door of the restaurant, and carefully held it open for the trio to, step by step, walk out of it. He followed them out on the street. Changmin had parked the closest he could to the restaurant, but Jacob and Changmin had to haul Kevin up the hill for unnecessary long meters, until they reached the fancy sports car that the dancer owned. Eric fished Changmin’s car keys out of his pockets, and opened the passenger door for the two boys to slide Kevin into the vehicle.

In broad daylight, Kevin looked even paler. His eyes shut closed as soon as Changmin helped him rest his head against the seat. Dried tear streams on his cheeks reflected the sun, making Eric’s heart break even more.

Jacob placed a hand on Changmin’s shoulder. “Call me– any of us, if there’s anything. I mean, I know he blabbers a lot in English when he’s like this, so, you can call me no matter what, alright?”

Changmin nodded. The look in his eyes was terrified. “T-thank you”, he stuttered. “This is... this is the worst one I’ve seen.”

Jacob nodded slowly. “Yeah, it’s one of the worst ones I’ve seen as well.”

Changmin still looked shaken up when he left the sidewalk to walk over to the driver’s side of the car.

“Drive home safe”, Jacob called.

Changmin shot him a weak smile. Before Jacob could close the door on Kevin’s side, Eric slipped in front of him. He didn’t think twice before grabbing one of Kevin’s hands, and squeezing it lightly. “We love you, hyung”, he said. Kevin barely had any reaction, but a weak squeeze back into his hand let him know the older had heard him.

Eric stepped back onto the sidewalk, and Jacob wrapped an arm around his shoulder, rubbing his upper arm as he shut the passenger door. They both stayed in place, watching as Changmin drove off. They stared into the distance long after the car had disappeared far up the hill. Eric sniffed discreetly, but Jacob’s eyes were on him in an instant.

“Hey, bub, it’s alright. He’ll be alright, don’t worry”, he tried to reassure the younger. “C’mon, let’s go back inside.”

They walked back down the hill towards the flower-adorned exterior of the restaurant. Eric stuffed his hands in his pockets, and stared at his feet as he strolled down.

“Does this happen often?” he asked.

He heard Jacob sigh softly. The older made the both of them stop a few steps away from Flower Snack’s door. “Not very often, but from time to time, yes. Although, it’s never this bad.”

“Should we do something for him?” Eric asked, his mind starting to spin. “Like, we could buy him snacks, oh, there’s this place that Juyeon hyung found that sells imported American stuff! I know it’s not Canadian, but there must be similar things, right?”

Jacob smiled softly at him. “Sure, I’ll drive us there, and then we can drop everything at his and Changmin’s place so that he can have the surprise when he feels better.”

Eric’s face lightened at the idea. Jacob chuckled, and ruffled his hair. Eric heart already felt a bit lighter at the thought that there was something he could do for his friend.

“They’re not gonna break up, right?” Eric suddenly asked, remembering how he had thought Changmin’s new job might have played a role in Kevin’s state.

Jacob chuckled. “Of course not. They both just need to talk, like I’ve been begging them to do for weeks. They’re terrible at communicating, these two.”

He reached for Eric’s shoulder, placing his hand on it. “Communication is important, you hear me? I don’t wanna be picking up pieces of Eric any time soon because you and Juyeon decided you weren’t talking about the important things, okay?

To Eric, it seemed like him and Juyeon were already better at communicating than Jacob and Sangyeon were, and that Jacob definitely needed his own advice more than Eric, but he kept his remark to himself and simply nodded, following Jacob back into the restaurant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter summary:
> 
> I suck at summaries, but what happens in this chapter is, well, a small fire, that Jaehyun oh-so-heroically puts out. Turns out it's Kevin's fault that a fire started in the oven, because he's been feeling a little out of it. Chanhee gets a tiny bit hurt in the process of putting out the fire, and that's the last straw that pushes Kevin into a panic attack. Jacob makes Eric call Changmin, who comes from his new studio even though he's been really busy there (aah the things you'd do for love), the two lovebirds haven't properly seen each other in over a week despite living together. Changmin drives Kevin back home, and the chapter ends with Jacob giving love communication advice to Eric, who thinks Jacob surely deserves that advice more than him.


	21. chaotic best friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens when you leave Eric and Sunwoo alone? Find out now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter might be confusing if you pay attention to their ages and the schooling system; nothing makes sense, and i couldn't be bothered to change stuff, so just roll with it and pretend everything's fine
> 
> also, i wrote the aftermath of the previous chapter, with kevin and changmin, and i posted it separately, if you're interested!

Everything felt blurry around him, the air cold and warm at the same time. All he knew was that there was a warm bubble in the shape of Juyeon’s limbs engulfing him, sheltering him from the world, and he curled up into it almost on instinct.

Slowly, he felt a hot breeze blow against his neck, and soon enough Juyeon’s head nuzzled into his skin. Eric melted against the sudden touch of Juyeon’s lips, who left brushing kisses all over his neck and collarbone, soothing him right back to his peaceful slumber.

“Good morning”, Juyeon mumbled groggily, effectively grabbing Eric’s attention.

The older’s fingers ran over his arms, bringing him a little closer to consciousness with each new area that he touched.

Juyeon could feel Eric waking up by the slight change in his breathing, and the way his body reacted discretely to his touch, leaning into him when Juyeon pulled his fingers away.

“We have to wake up, Youngjae-ah”, Juyeon smiled, before pressing a soft kiss to Eric’s forehead.

Gone were the days where Juyeon would waste ten minutes to try and wake Eric up in a _nice_ way. Although, from his very humble perspective, his new strategy was _very nice_ , Eric didn’t always agree. But Eric, the annoyingly cute living embodiment of Sleeping Beauty wasn’t the one who had to deal with waking himself up, was he? Hell, even a “true love” kiss didn’t work on Eric, so before the younger could complain, he’d have to fix his horrible sleeping habits.

In the meantime, Juyeon was more than happy to wake him up with techniques that had similar effects to a cold shower.

If he felt particularly evil, Juyeon loved to kiss the air out of Eric’s lungs until the younger would have no choice but to jerk awake if he wanted to breathe. (Juyeon had done that once, and Eric had cried, not before hitting him where it hurt. Let’s just say, Juyeon wasn’t _planning_ on doing it again.)

Today, however, he had to be a little considerate, as Eric actually had things to do that he needed to be alive for.

He detached himself from his boyfriend, who whined immediately when Juyeon left the bed. He leaned over the younger, and intertwined their fingers to pull Eric up into a sitting position. Eric blinked sleepily, and stared at Juyeon with droopy eyes. Juyeon almost cooed at the adorable sight.

“First day at uni”, he reminded Eric, “you don’t want to be late, right?”

Eric blinked at him, and Juyeon knew that if it weren’t for their connected hands, he would have fallen right back onto the mattress from just how tired he looked.

He knew he had to move quickly if he didn’t want Eric to fall asleep in his sitting position. He gripped the younger at the waist, grip maybe too harsh to be comfortable, and lifted the boy up from the bed.

Eric let out a scared shriek, and instinctively wrapped his naked legs around Juyeon’s waist, and his arms around Juyeon’s neck as if his life was on the line. Juyeon gave him a proud smirk. “That good old trick always works with you”, he snickered at Eric’s disheveled appearance, and the way his eyes looked now completely awake, probably from the shock of almost falling, to his death, Eric would have added to that if he weren’t so sleepy.

Juyeon readjusted his grip on Eric to make it more comfortable for the younger. He gently pushed down Eric’s head for his cheek to come rest on his shoulder, and he carefully walked out of the room. They had finished settling Eric’s things the day after he had moved in, but what was now scattered on the floor instead of the boxes were the clothes they had lazily discarded all over the room the previous night, when Juyeon had helped Eric get rid of the stress that his first day of university was causing him.

Eric didn’t need to know his neck was covered in hickeys, Juyeon reasoned, that would only make him overly conscious of his appearance, and that wasn’t what he needed to focus on.

Juyeon walked into the shared kitchen, where he found Younghoon already awake, scrolling through his phone in front of a cup of coffee. The older barely paid any attention to them, only uttering a lazy “good morning”, when Juyeon set Eric down onto one of the stools at the kitchen island, next to Younghoon.

“Why are you up so early?” Juyeon asked, rummaging through the cupboards. “I thought you didn’t take any morning classes.”

Younghoon shrugged, and took a sip of coffee. “I guess I’m just a bit nervous. I mean, it’s kinda like my first day, too.” He playfully nudged sleepy Eric, who leaned onto his shoulder and let his eyes close themselves. “I’m starting my vet studies today.”

Juyeon’s face lit up happily at the words. He knew just how much the older had struggled, cried out in frustration, stayed up for countless sleepless months before he’d been able to convince his parents to let him drop out of his business major to start his veterinarian major. Juyeon knew how much Younghoon was passionate about his new study field already, and he was more than excited for his friend to actually start it, even if that meant he wouldn’t be sharing classes with the older anymore. It was for the best, really; in the two years Juyeon had been taking his business major, he had shared a handful of classes with his friend, and despite the fact that it was way more entertaining to have a friend to get distracted with and to help you study, he had painfully watched as Younghoon lost bits and pieces of himself every time he’d step into yet another calculus or marketing class.

Juyeon started gathering the ingredients to cook some breakfast for him and Eric. He wondered if he should offer some to Younghoon, or if the older had already eaten, given that he seemed to have been up for a while. He turned around, about to ask his friend. Instead, what he saw sent his cheeks aflame.

Younghoon had just glanced down at Eric, eyes noticing the two visible purple marks on the blonde’s neck. Juyeon saw him roll his eyes, and he froze when Younghoon’s gaze settled on him next.

“Anyway”, Younghoon explained nonchalantly, “I didn’t have the options for stress-relief that Eric apparently had for _my_ first day, so I didn’t sleep really well.”

Eric’s eyes shot open, and met Juyeon’s immediately. Juyeon recoiled at the accusatory gaze his boyfriend was giving him, even though Eric’s position was still as innocent as it could be, his cheek squished adorably against Younghoon’s shoulder. Juyeon smiled sheepishly, well aware that he was probably more embarrassed than Eric was.

Juyeon had always known that Eric was in general not shy of many things. Once he had realized he could be comfortable with Juyeon, Juyeon realized that Eric in the bedroom was especially not ashamed of many things.

Younghoon’s chuckle broke Juyeon’s silent exchange with Eric.

“Trust me, it’s nothing some quick makeup can’t fix,” the experienced model in Younghoon spoke, and Juyeon wasn’t sure if he was trying to reassure him or Eric.

Younghoon took another sip of coffee, and brought his attention back to his phone. Juyeon still stared, flustered, at Eric, who finally just scoffed, and broke their eye contact to peak at Younghoon’s screen.

Juyeon turned around, back to his cooking. It took a few minutes to finish making the ramen he knew Eric would like, and to set one plate in front of the younger, keeping the other portion to himself. He stayed standing, propping one elbow onto the counter to eat. Eric sat up straight, and Juyeon waited for the few seconds he took to process the fact that Juyeon had cooked him his favourite breakfast.

“You made me ramen?” he finally asked, voice small, as he looked up at Juyeon.

Juyeon smiled fondly, and gestured at his untouched plate with his chopsticks. “It’s gonna get cold if you don’t eat.”

Eric grinned happily and nodded. He attacked his food in less than a second, barely if not at all taking the extra seconds to chew on his noodles. Younghoon laughed next to him, but Eric paid him no mind. He ate the entire plate in two minutes.

The university wasn’t really far from the apartment, but it was quite a long walk away, a walk that Juyeon wasn’t willing to take before the break of dawn, especially when he didn’t even have a class so early himself. Instead, him and Eric rode the elevator all the way down to the underground parking to fetch his car. And ten minutes later, Juyeon was parking in a nice spot on campus, with a nervous Eric bouncing up on the seat next to him.

It was still a bit cold outside, the sun wasn’t even fully up yet, when they finally reached the entrance of the building. They hurried inside, and Eric instantly had his schedule open on his phone.

“What’s your first class?” Juyeon asked the younger.

Eric searched his screen for a while, before showing it to Juyeon. The older hummed. “Ah, wing B. Follow me”, he grabbed Eric’s free hand.

As they chatted their way to wing B, Juyeon realized that the stress emanating from Eric maybe wasn’t much stress, but excitement. With how fast the younger was speaking, there was no mistaking as stress; a stressed out Eric closed himself off, mouth sealed shut and it took a lot for Juyeon to get him to speak his mind. No, the Eric he had in front of him was a very excited Eric, and the sight bloomed a spark of joy in Juyeon’s heart.

Many changes were happening for their group of friends this semester. Not only was Eric starting university classes, but Hyunjoon and Sunwoo were too, as well as Haknyeon who was getting back to his studies after a year off. Younghoon was starting a completely different major, and Jaehyun and Chanhee were entering probably the roughest years of their entire scholar journey.

Wing B showed its colours sooner than Juyeon would have liked. Eric was pretty much pulling _him_ behind at this point, eyes wide as he searched for his class.

“Hyung, B1222!” Eric’s chipper voice exclaimed. “There it is!”

The blonde turned towards Juyeon, a wide smile on his face. The tired boy from merely an hour ago was unrecognizable, and Juyeon would never understand how he was able to undergo such a quick transformation without the need of caffeine.

Juyeon’s heart pounded distantly against his ribcage as he looked at his boyfriend, with his backpack slung over a shoulder, his hoodie zipper halfway, Younghoon’s makeup undetectable on his neck. Eric was already mature – when he wanted to be – but today was a new beginning for him, and Juyeon hoped with his whole heart that everything would go well for him.

“Well? Are you not going to say goodbye to me?” Eric pouted.

Juyeon shook his head. “Sorry”, he apologized and stole a quick peck from Eric’s lips. “Have fun”, he gave Eric a genuine smile.

The younger snorted. “What do you mean “have fun”, I’m just going to class”, Eric rolled his eyes. “You’re so cute, hyung”, he laughed, left a kiss to Juyeon’s cheek and he was gone in a second, entering the classroom just to Juyeon’s left.

Juyeon couldn’t deny the way the younger always managed to make him go through an entire roller coaster of emotions in just one morning, leaving his heart beating louder than ever, his legs no better than jelly from how whipped he was for everything _Eric._

He lingered for a few seconds more in the hallway, spying into Eric’s classroom maybe a little creepily, but he needed to know that the younger would be okay, or else he wouldn’t have anything else to focus on for the rest of the day. He spotted Eric sitting down somewhere close to the center of the room, looking slightly nervous despite how confident he had acted around Juyeon. Juyeon’s heart clenched in his chest when Eric pulled his bottom lip in between his teeth, one of his many nervous habits.

Barely two seconds later, the younger was turning to the boy sat on the desk next to him, and the moment Eric’s beautiful bright smile returned, Juyeon knew he would be okay.

When Eric’s class ended, three hours later, he had picked up his phone to text his best friend, who he knew had a class roughly at the same time as he did. They had hung out outside for the rest of the morning, briefly meeting Hyunjoon during the other’s break in between classes.

They had walked to Sunwoo’s apartment, only two minutes away from the university, for the red-haired to grab his wallet. That’s where they had been when they had both gotten a notification from their group chat, Haknyeon asking if everyone wanted to meet up for lunch. They had agreed to meet each other at Flower Snack, and Eric and Sunwoo had left the latter’s apartment immediately.

When they neared the restaurant, Eric immediately noticed the beginning of the school year had brought a whole new clientele, dozens of students all wanting to spend their lunch break at a cozy place. Eric was taken back to the previous semester; it had been the same, midday was always the busiest time, as students would crowd the place for about an hour, before business would slow down in the afternoon.

The two boys entered the restaurant that was buzzing with activity. Jacob still greeted them warmly, even though he seemed to be struggling a little as the only waiter on the job.

“How was your first class?” he asked, ruffling Eric’s hair and shooting Sunwoo a smile.

“Not as exciting as I’d hoped”, Eric swatted Jacob’s hand away. When the older’s enthusiastic expression faltered, he quickly added “but I’m really looking forward to the class I have this afternoon!”

“That’s great!” Jacob exclaimed. “The others are in the break room, by the way, we’re kind of at full capacity so you can go eat in there.”

Sunwoo nodded, while Eric replied an enthusiastic “Alright!”, and Jacob quickly returned to work. The two students walked into the kitchen, where they greeted Sangyeon and Kevin. The latter had slowly begun working again, this day being his first long shift since the fire incident, and he was only doing it because no one else was available during the day. Kevin didn’t have classes on Mondays, so he had volunteered, even though Sangyeon hadn’t wanted to let him work at first, saying he felt too bad about what had happened to allow Kevin to be working so soon after the incident, to which Kevin had responded “Hyung, just because you feel bad, doesn’t mean I do.” And Sangyeon had had to concede him the right to work.

“Hi boys!” Sangyeon smiled at Eric and Sunwoo for a second, and immediately looked back at his cooking. Sunwoo greeted him back and went straight towards the back of the kitchen to start making himself a quick lunch, but Eric walked right in between Sangyeon and Kevin.

“Do you need help?” he asked, gesturing at the counter filled with empty trays waiting for orders to be placed on them.

Sangyeon quickly waved him off. “Don’t worry, just go and eat, we’re doing fine”, he assured.

Eric eyed him suspiciously, but eventually nodded, and followed Sunwoo to start making himself a bowl of cold noodles. He moved quickly, not wanting to stay standing in Sangyeon and Kevin’s way. Sunwoo’s own plate was done, and the older walked over to the bar section of the kitchen.

“Mango smoothie?” he asked Eric.

“You already know”, Eric replied happily.

The two of them finished making themselves lunch. Eric took his bowl and chopsticks in one hand, grabbing his freshly-made smoothie from Sunwoo in the other, and the two of them trailed down the hallway to reach the break room. Loud chatter came from inside the room, and they were greeted energetically as soon as Sunwoo’s hair poked into the room.

Around the table, extra chairs had been added to be able to fit everyone. Sunwoo reached the table first, squeezing himself on the booth next to Haknyeon. Eric was right behind him, quickly spotting the back of his boyfriend’s hair as the older was sitting on a chair, peacefully eating his own lunch. He pulled himself a chair, finding space between Juyeon and Jaehyun.

Juyeon shot him a smile in between two bites of food, and his left hand landed, on Eric’s thigh, while he carried on eating with the other. Despite Juyeon barely doing anything, his grip on him was sending warmth all over Eric’s body, calming and exciting at the same time.

“Yah, Eric”, Jaehyun lightly punched his shoulder.

“What”, Eric grumbled over a mouthful of noodles.

“I’m testing my new gaming setup tonight, you wanna join?”

“He’s working the closing shift”, Juyeon replied faster than Eric could. Eric turned towards him, only to notice the not-so-subtle pout on his face.

“Ah, that’s too bad”, Jaehyun replied. “I guess I’ll have to ask Hoon-ie instead.”

Eric’s head whipped back towards Jaehyun. “I can still make it after my shift! I end at nine, we can play after.”

Jaehyun sighed dramatically. “It’s really such a shame that you work tonight, Eric. I really have _no choice_ but to ask Hoon-ie.”

Eric blinked a few times, perplexed. He stared as Jaehyun went back to eating his food, but he didn’t have to stay confused for too long that the hand on his thigh was removed, and Juyeon’s arm came to wrap around his shoulders instead, pulling him into Juyeon’s embrace. His head fell naturally on Juyeon’s shoulder.

“How was your first class?”

Eric and Sunwoo _never_ closed the restaurant together. It had happened exactly zero times since the grand opening, no matter the amount of guilt-tripping they had tried to do on Sangyeon to obtain the restaurant to themselves for at least one evening. They had promised to get some of their other friends to stay with them to make sure everything would go well, but of course, Sangyeon being Sangyeon, he hadn’t wanted to burden another one of their friends by making them look after the chaotic duo that was Sunwoo and Eric.

So tonight would be a first, and Eric was beyond excited. New school schedules had forced Sangyeon to allow them to work together, and Eric was determined to not make him regret it.

Sunwoo... well, let’s just say that Eric knew Sunwoo had other plans. And okay, maybe he understood why Sangyeon didn’t want to leave them alone together, because if there was one person who wasn’t capable of keeping Sunwoo in check, it was Eric.

“You know what, I think I’ll just stay with you guys”, Jacob said, eyeing the two best friends suspiciously.

They had just put the lock on the door, and Jacob was supposed to be leaving along with Chanhee.

“Why?” Eric immediately replied. “It’s fine, hyung, I promise we won’t cause any trouble!”

Jacob smiled softly at him. “Eric, I absolutely love you both, but I don’t trust you.”

Eric’s mouth fell in disbelief.

“We won’t leave until everything’s done”, Sunwoo promised. “Eric can take care of the cleaning, and I’ll manage the important stuff.”

Eric pushed Sunwoo’s head in annoyance. Sunwoo retaliated with a light punch to the arm, and Eric pulled his tongue out.

“Trust me, it will work”, Sunwoo told Eric.

“You mean _I_ will work while you sit in the office and do nothing!” Eric exclaimed.

They both threw a few harmless punches at each other, before they had the realization at the same time that Jacob was still in the room. They both stopped fighting and turned towards their friend, who was looking at them unimpressed.

“Like I said–” Jacob started, quickly interrupted by Sunwoo.

“We were just kidding! We’ll work together, I’ll help Eric, Eric will help me, and everything will be done on time. You’re turning into your boyfriend being worried all the time”, he teased with a wave of the eyebrow.

Jacob chuckled, gaze flickering between both boys.

“Hyung”, Sunwoo tried again, “it’s fine, really. I’ll see you at the studio in an hour, like we planned.”

He made quick movements of the hands, showing Jacob the door. Right at that moment, Chanhee came back from the break room, his bag in hands.

“Still here?” he asked Jacob. “C’mon, I’m driving you.”

He nudged the older’s arm, until Jacob finally gave in, and followed Chanhee out of the restaurant, not before shooting Sunwoo and Eric one last worried glance.

“And he left!” Eric exclaimed in victory as the bells above the door rang Jacob’s departure.

He turned to Sunwoo, but immediately noticed that his friend’s mood wasn’t there. Sunwoo was staring into nothing, vaguely in the direction Jacob had left. Eric sighed.

“What’s up with you now? Don’t tell me you wanted him to stay.”

Sunwoo immediately shook his head. He turned around, sitting up on the counter behind him. Eric leaned back onto another counter, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I’ve been working on tracks like crazy but all he does is stay here! I’ve been wanting us to work on songs together but he always has an excuse to not check the progress I’ve made on my own. He was going to skip out on today too, I know it.”

Sunwoo huffed, crossing his arms just like Eric had. “You know what, forget it. It doesn’t matter.”

He jumped off the counter, and disappeared into the dish washing room. Eric heard the sound of dishes clashing together, and water running into the sink a few seconds later. Eric decided to intervene before Sunwoo would start breaking plates because of how angry he was.

“Sun”, he called gently, and Sunwoo dropped everything into the sink.

“I’m just pissed off, Eric, it’s fine”, he grumbled.

Eric shook his head, walking towards Sunwoo. He grabbed the older’s hands, pulling them out of the sink. He sent Sunwoo a kind smile. “You know what me and Juyeon do when we close together?”

Sunwoo rolled his eyes to the ceiling. “I really do not want to know.”

Eric chuckled, but ignored Sunwoo’s protests as he pulled him out of the room and into the office. Sunwoo’s hands were dripping water all over the floor and the desk, but Eric didn’t comment, simply pushing a few papers out of the way.

“Give me your phone”, he asked, holding his hand out towards Sunwoo.

“Uh”, Sunwoo frowned, “no.”

“C’mon! I won’t eat it!”

“I don’t trust you with my phone!”

“Technically, my mom paid for it, you know?” Eric argued.

Sunwoo groaned, and reached into his back pocket for his phone. He stared into Eric’s eyes for a few seconds, before reluctantly handing it over. Eric screamed in excitement, throwing himself onto Sangyeon’s desk chair and reaching for the radio hidden into a drawer at floor-level.

He pulled the wire out, and clicked on Sunwoo’s phone, before realizing it was locked. He looked back at Sunwoo.

“Password.”

“Nope”, Sunwoo shook his head, “no way. Give it back.”

“Just unlock it, jesus”, Eric rolled his eyes, and handed Sunwoo his phone back. “Delete Haknyeon’s nudes while you’re at it.”

Sunwoo froze in the middle of typing his password, eyes shooting up to meet Eric’s. “What did you just say?”

Eric raised an eyebrow, smugness oozing from his leant back posture in the chair. “That’s why you’re so stressed out about me touching your phone?” he chuckled, and instantly Sunwoo’s cheeks turned red.

“Oh my god, Sunwoo!” Eric burst into laughter.

“Shut up!”

“You’re so easy to read, fuck”, Eric couldn’t stop laughing. The look on Sunwoo’s face was priceless.

“It’s not funny”, Sunwoo groaned. “But... you didn’t _see_ anything, right?”

Eric could barely control his breath. “Would it be so terrible if I had?”

“Yes, it would be!” Sunwoo exclaimed in disbelief.

Eric wiped the tears away from his eyes. He spun around in his chair once as his laughter died out, and he faced Sunwoo again, a wide grin on his face. “I didn’t know you were into that.”

“Oh, shut up”, Sunwoo handed Eric his phone back, face as red as a tomato.

Eric plugged the device into the speaker system, and in a few seconds the restaurant was blasting Sunwoo’s workout playlist. He gave Sunwoo his phone back without a fuss, and Sunwoo scrambled to lock it again and tuck it into his pocket.

“I don’t want to hear a single word about this in front of our friends”, Sunwoo warned.

Eric raised an eyebrow. “Or what?”

“Or Haknyeon will kill me! I know you don’t care but he will and– oh my god I actually hate you, stop laughing!”

It was a little past nine in the evening when Juyeon parked his car right in front of Flower Snack. He rarely ever got such great parking, but the fact that it was late on a week night probably helped.

The first thing he noticed was that all the lights were on in the whole shop, yet there was no trace of either Eric or Sunwoo. The chairs were still on their original place on the floor, not flipped upside down on top of tables like they were supposed to be after a closing shift.

The door was unlocked, making Juyeon frown. Had something happened during Eric and Sunwoo’s shift?

As he stepped into the restaurant, his eardrums nearly exploded thanks to how loud the music was – some kind of rock track that Juyeon didn’t recognize, but that would make him lose his hearing ability if the volume wasn’t turned down in the next five seconds.

He walked through the kitchen, letting his eyes trail over the dirty pans and kitchen tools, the floor still stained with pasta sauce.

“Youngjae?” he called loudly, trying to overpower the music.

He stepped further into the restaurant, until he was able to hear some laughter over the music, apparently coming from Sangyeon’s office. He walked over quickly, and pushed the door open.

Eric and Sunwoo were both sat on the floor with their backs on the wall, laughing their lungs out as they looked at something on one of their phones. It took them a few seconds to notice Juyeon’s entrance, both of them looking up in surprise.

“Juyeon hyung?” Eric said, taking his phone back from Sunwoo’s hands and hiding it into his pockets.

“What are you doing?” Juyeon asked.

The music was at least ten times less loud from inside the office, probably explaining why they had needed to put it so loud if all they had done was stay inside the small room.

Eric jumped to his feet, running up to Juyeon with a wide smile on his face.

“Sunwoo was teaching me how to take nudes”, he explained proudly.

Juyeon’s jaw dropped in stupefaction, the wires of his brain stopping for a moment. From the floor, Sunwoo laughed even harder, and Eric giggled cutely at Juyeon’s reaction.

“You look shocked”, Eric noted, before laughing again.

Juyeon blinked to gather his thoughts. “I don’t even want to know the implications of this”, Juyeon shook his head, trying to understand how all of this had happened without exactly wanting to. Had Sunwoo helped Eric to learn how to pose? Had he shown him his own pictures for reference? Had they actually _practiced_?

“Hyung”, Eric whined as he grabbed Juyeon’s hands, “everything’s fine. We didn’t kiss.”

Juyeon stared back at Eric bewildered. What did that even mean?

“Are you drunk?” he felt the need to ask, eyeing Sunwoo who was slowly getting up from the floor.

“We can’t have fun without being drunk?” Eric pouted.

“No”, Juyeon immediately replied, “it’s not that, this is just... weird.”

“Don’t worry, I didn’t know Haknyeon sent Sunwoo nudes either.”

“Eric!” Sunwoo yelled angrily at the same time as he unplugged his phone from where Juyeon usually plugged his during his closing shift.

Silence fell onto the restaurant, Juyeon’s ears buzzing from the remnants of the noise.

“You know what”, Juyeon said, gaze flickering between the two devils in front of him, “I don’t wanna know.”

He felt Eric hug his waist, his head nuzzling against his shoulder, but Juyeon was too shocked to hug back.

“And what about your closing shift?” he asked. “You guys didn’t do anything.”

Sunwoo immediately pointed at Eric. “His idea!”

“What?” Eric exclaimed, detaching himself from Juyeon. “ _You_ were being sulky, I just wanted to help! And then you offered to teach me about nudes.”

“Can we not mention the nudes again”, Juyeon whimpered, feeling his head getting dizzy at each connection of the words _Eric_ and _nudes._

No one dared speak for a few seconds, and Juyeon could see in both the boy’s faces that the realization sunk in, at the same time as Juyeon realized that they probably hadn’t been aware of the time at all.

“Sangyeon hyung will be mad, won’t he?” Eric asked quietly, turning back to Sunwoo who held the same scared look.

Juyeon sighed. He reached to fix Eric’s t-shirt a little, before looking up at the best friends again. “If I help you, we can be out of here in twenty minutes.”

Their eyes sparkled simultaneously, and Eric took Juyeon by surprise by kissing him on the lips. “Thank you so much hyung! Sunwoo will behave now, I swear!”

“Eric will behave too, I promise!” Sunwoo exclaimed from where he was standing over at the desk.

Juyeon chuckled, not believing the situation he was in. He ruffled Eric’s hair a bit. “We better get started now, then. But I can guarantee you that this will be the first and also the last closing shift you’ll ever do together.”

In the end, they really finished all the tasks in under twenty minutes, because when they actually got to work, Eric and Sunwoo were good employees, they had the experience of dozens of closing shifts behind them to help them be efficient. Juyeon drove Sunwoo to his studio so that he wouldn’t make Jacob wait any longer. As soon as Sunwoo left Juyeon alone with his boyfriend, Juyeon took a deep breath in. “So, should I expect to be receiving pictures from you now?”


	22. hwall creatives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Little sneak peek into Eric and Hyunjoon's friendship, featuring skateparks, couple fights and a brand new apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> good morning/evening! 
> 
> i have no excuse for how much of a mess this chapter is. it's quite long as well, in fact i checked and i haven't written a chapter this long since chapter 13... anyway, i hope you enjoy this for at least a small fraction of how much fun i had writng it! or maybe it's only funny to sleep-deprived brains lmao
> 
> quickly, i just wanted to say thank you so much for all the support on this fic! as someone who deals with ridiculously low self-steem levels, this means the world to me.

Eric was 13, almost 14, when he had first met Hyunjoon. It was the autumn after his family had moved back to Korea, and despite being in the country for nearly three months, Eric hadn’t managed to make any new friends. He mostly just called and played video games online with his American friends. School being off during the summer, Eric hadn’t really met any people his age in his new neighbourhood.

That day, Eric had taken his skateboard out of his closet, and had gone to take a stroll, alone. The skatepark he usually went to was crowded, as the weather was perfect to ride, so he avoided the place. Doing so, he ended up farther from his house than he’d first intended, and somehow reached another skatepark; smaller, less inviting, but abandoned. Eric was suddenly thrilled at the prospect of having the entire place to himself.

When he neared the park, however, he noticed with a hint of disappointment that someone was already there. A black-haired boy was sitting on the edge of the large concrete bowl. He didn’t have a board with him, he was just leaning backwards, his arms holding up his upper body and his eyes were closed.

Eric was on the other side of the bowl, maybe four or five meters in between him and the stranger. He let his board down at his feet, putting one foot down on it. The noise made the other boy stir, and soon enough, he was staring right at Eric.

“Uh... I... I wanna... board?” Eric tried using his limited Korean knowledge, gesturing at his board and at the bowl in between them.

This was his first time interacting with someone, in Korean, that wasn’t a member of his family. With his parents and sister, he spoke in half Korean, half English, and it was comfortable, as he could easily bounce back on either language whenever he tripped on a word. To the guy in front of him, however, he was pretty sure English would be an alien language, as Eric thought it was to most Korean children.

The boy only tilted his head curiously, but gave no sign of having any intention to move. “Go ahead”, he simply said, gesturing at the wide concrete space.

Eric hesitantly stepped on his board. He had skated in front of strangers so many times, whether it would be in Korea, or back in L.A, where the skateparks were always crowded with people of all ages. However, that day, it was just the other boy and him, and it felt so _private_ , especially since he knew the other’s eyes were on him.

He started slowly, warming himself up with easy moves. His mom would probably kill him if she knew he was doing dangerous stunts without a helmet, but Eric was pretty confident in himself, and he thought helmets made him look ugly.

He skated for a long while, and all along he could feel the stranger’s eyes on him, never leaving him. His silence was suffocating to Eric. He felt watched, and the other didn’t even have the decency to say something, anything. He didn’t clap or cheer like people at skateparks usually did, he didn’t throw encouraging words. He just watched.

After a while, Eric started to feel his legs grow tired. He had begun to be a little unsteady, but he didn’t want to stop skating yet. The sun was still high in the sky, and stopping now would mean he would have nothing else to do but go home. He attempted another trick, clearly underestimating his abilities because he ended up falling face first, catching himself last-minute with his arms, preventing his head from hitting the concrete ground.

Embarrassed, he pushed himself up, and wished he could disappear when he heard the stranger laughing quietly.

“Are you okay?” the boy called after him, but only as a form of politeness. He had seen Eric fall and get up immediately, after all, which was why he had allowed himself to laugh.

Eric shyly picked up his board and turned towards the boy. “Y-yeah.” He replied.

The stranger waved him over. Eric hesitated, but climbed over to where the black-haired was sitting, taking a seat next to him with his legs dangling over the concrete bowl.

“What’s your name?” the boy asked.

“Eric.”

“Errr-ic”, the other repeated, and Eric chuckled at the way he was trying to imitate the English pronunciation of his name.

“What is your name?”

“Hyunjoon.” The boy introduced himself with a smile. “Which year were you born in?”

Eric took a few seconds to process the words, and make sure he had understood the question properly. Man, Korean was so hard.

“2000”, he then replied, sighing in relief when the other – Hyunjoon – seemed to have a positive reaction at his answer. He had gotten the question right.

“Same as me!” Hyunjoon exclaimed.

Eric mirrored his smile. Hyunjoon then brought a hand up, lifting a strand of Eric’s pink-dyed hair.

“I like your hair”, he complimented.

Eric blushed, cheeks turning almost the same colour as his hair. He observed Hyunjoon’s features, and almost laughed at how different the two of them looked. Hyunjoon was dressed in all black, and had a few ear piercings. Eric was wearing mismatched pastel colours, and had his hair the colour of cotton candy.

“My friend...” Eric trailed, trying to recall his Korean vocabulary. “He did it”, he pointed at his hair, “when I was in L.A”

“Ah, so you’re from L.A”, Hyunjoon nodded in understanding. “ _Hi, my name is Hyunjoon_ ”, he greeted in broken English.

Eric giggled, and shuffled his board onto his lap, holding it with the wooden side up. Hyunjoon seemed to take interest in the object, leaning over slightly to have a look at it. Eric wondered why. He’d had the same skateboard for almost two years, and its wooden side was so worn out that the Bart Simpsons illustration on it was barely visible anymore.

Hyunjoon then reached backwards, pulling a backpack onto his knees. He turned to Eric, and pointed at the board. “Can I paint on it?”

Eric stared back at Hyunjoon, confused. He hadn’t understood the question, the sentence way too fast spoken for him. Hyunjoon seemed to acknowledge his problem, moving to unzip his backpack. He pulled out two cans of graffiti paint, waving them at Eric, then pointing back at the board. “Is that okay?” he asked, knowing that Eric would understand the simple words.

Eric’s face then lit up, intrigued by the offer. He nodded, and handed Hyunjoon the board, the same board that was so precious to him that he cried every time his sister would hide it from him just to annoy him. He hadn’t even realized how easily he was trusting this stranger with his most precious belonging.

Hyunjoon quickly got to work. He laid the board in the grass, a few meters away from the skatepark, and started spraying it with different colours. As he was focusing on his art, Eric was silently observing him, until the other boy’s shoes caught his attention. They had a black base, but were designed with neon colours on top of the black material. Eric thought the shoes looked really cool, so he tried asking Hyunjoon about it.

“Shoes, you made?” he asked.

Hyunjoon chuckled at the awkward sentence, and replied a quick “Yes”, in English.

“I like them”, Eric said.

The other boy smiled, muttering a “thank you”, and finished up on the skateboard. He let himself drop down on the grass, sitting next to Eric.

“You need to let it dry for a bit.” He explained.

Eric nodded, even though he hadn’t gotten a single thing from that. He was too embarrassed to ask the other to repeat himself, and by Hyunjoon’s tone he judged that it wasn’t a question, so he thought he was safe.

Hyunjoon didn’t seem to be leaving, so Eric just stayed with him, and they chatted, their conversations very limited, but it felt good to Eric to be making a new friend. Despite his virtual conversations with his American friends, Eric had felt very lonely ever since he’d arrived in Korea. Hyunjoon was the first person his age that Eric was interacting with, and Eric thought the other was quite entertaining. That, and the fact he’d just given his skateboard an amazing makeover. So, they talked for almost an hour, never noticing the sun setting down on the horizon.

“Why you come here?” Eric was asking. “You skateboard?”

Hyunjoon shook his head, his eyes lost in front of him. “No, I don’t skateboard, I just... I like it here. It’s quiet.”

Eric blinked, taking his time to analyze the words and get the most meaning he could out of the sentence. Before he could form a reply, some movement in the distance caught his attention, and a loud shout broke the two boys’ peaceful atmosphere.

“Hyunjoon-ie!” the voice was yelling.

The voice’s owner rushed over to them, and in under five seconds another boy was standing in front of them, panting from his run, but a big smile on his lips. His curly locks shined under the sun, his eyes twinkling in happiness. Behind him, Eric could see two other boys coming over, slower than the first one had been.

“I knew you’d be there”, he regained his breath, “We’re going to the arcade with Sangyeon hyung’s money. Wanna come?”

He started to ruffle Hyunjoon’s hair, and, only just noticing Eric’s presence, stopped to analyze his face. “Who’s this?”

The two other boys joined them. In front of Eric now stood three Korean boys, looking significantly older than Hyunjoon and him. If Eric hadn’t been sure about Hyunjoon’s age at first, the other looking quite older than he really was, Eric knew for certain that those three new strangers were probably years older than him.

“Aw, Joonie, did you make a friend?” One of the latecomers cooed teasingly.

“You know you shouldn’t be talking to strangers though.” The first guy said.

“Oh, c’mon Jae, as if that guy could be any danger. I mean look at him. He’s got pink hair!”

Eric couldn’t speak, the words were thrown around so quickly that he could barely make out their meaning. He was also feeling very intimidated by the new strangers. Eric never thought he would have trouble meeting new people, but he was clearly being outnumbered, and by people who didn’t speak his own language.

Two of the boys were really tall, and even though Eric was sitting, he could tell he’d be really short next to them. The third one looked more like his height, but Eric wasn’t too sure. The two that had been talking seemed really friendly, and Eric’s heart burst in excitement at the thought of befriending them.

Eric’s eyes then met the ones of the third stranger, lanky and intimidating from the way his face seemed closed off, slightly awkward, and Eric looked away quickly, feeling his cheeks heat up in embarrassment. And this was how Eric had met Juyeon.

Hyunjoon suddenly threw an arm around Eric’s shoulders. “Guys, meet Eric, he’s the same age as me and he’s from L.A. He doesn’t speak Korean all that well so I think you are kind of overwhelming him.” Hyunjoon chuckled.

“Wait, he’s from L.A? We have to introduce him to Kevin hyung”, the shortest of the three exclaimed.

“But does he speak, at all?” the first guy asked, making a weirded-out face.

Eric’s breath hitched nervously. “Sorry”, he spluttered out. “Nice to meet you, I’m Eric.”

“He’s got a lisp!” the first guy cooed, bringing his hands over his heart.

Eric noticed the taller of the three was being really silent, but he simply shrugged it off. Not everyone was friendly on the same level, and the boy was probably just shy. Just another challenge for Eric to tackle on his journey to making Korean friends.

“Hyunjae hyung, he _does_ understand Korean. A little.” Hyunjoon rolled his eyes at his friend.

“Yes, sorry”, Hyunjae giggled, glowing in happiness. “Nice to meet you Eric, my name is Jaehyun.”

Eric tilted his head in confusion. He could have sworn he’d just heard Hyunjoon call him by the name “Hyunjae”. Hyunjoon noticed Eric’s reaction, leaning over to the younger boy.

“Hyunjae’s a nickname”, he explained. Eric nodded gratefully.

“I’m Haknyeon”, the shortest one said, bright smile equally as blinding as Jaehyun’s. “Nice to meet you, _Eric_!” he tried hard to pronounce the English name.

Eric smiled excitedly in return.

“Ju, don’t be an asshole”, Jaehyun nudged the third guy.

“Do you have a Korean name too?” the taller boy suddenly asked, a curious glint to his eyes.

“I go by Youngjae, too. If you’re more comfortable, Youngjae. You can use. Which you like.”

He wished he had listened to his mother when she had told him to study Korean instead of playing with his friends.

The tall boy smiled for the first time since Eric had first seen him, his cat-eyes curling into small moon crescents. “Nice to meet you. I’m Juyeon.”

They had then all insisted on Eric coming with them to the arcade, since “Sangyeon hyung” was paying anyway, they gave as an excuse. Eric being himself, he mingled in with the crowd pretty well, despite the language barrier. He seized pretty quickly amongst the friend group who was receptive to his overflowing energy, and who wasn’t. He clicked really well with Kevin, the older immediately taking him under his wing and magically appearing behind him any time Eric started struggling with his Korean.

The next week, at the beginning of school, Eric had been thrilled to find out that Hyunjoon was in the same class as he was. Hyunjoon introduced him to his friend Sunwoo, and the trio became inseparable. And this was how Eric had gotten into their friend group, blending in just fine amongst all of their various personalities.

Visiting the skatepark again that morning had brought a flood of memories back in his mind. Eric was still using that same board that Hyunjoon had designed for him that day; he’d had to get the wheels repaired over the years, get the grip changed, but the board was even more precious to him now that it held so many memories that Eric couldn’t part away from it. Eric, now stepping into the Flower Snack, hugged the skateboard to his chest at the thought, a vague smile forming on his lips.

But, Hyunjoon had told him, this day would probably be the last where Eric would be able to find the taller at in their childhood neighbourhood’s skatepark. After months of searching, he had finally found the perfect studio to combine his primary needs and those of his company, and would be moving out shortly. The only slight issue: the building was located on the other side of town, somewhere Eric wouldn’t be able to reach by skateboarding.

Today, Eric thought he was doing the closing shift with Kevin, and they would be respectively taking Haknyeon and Sangyeon’s place, hence why he was surprised to find Jacob in the kitchen, apparently having a very heated argument with Sangyeon. The discussion was so intense that Eric froze, right at the entrance of the kitchen, the doors closing by themselves behind him.

“Why would he text _you_ individually, and not me?” Sangyeon was asking.

“I told you, he felt bad about bailing on you last minute so he wanted to find a solution on his own”, Jacob replied. “He just asked me to pick up his shift, it’s not a big deal.”

Sangyeon shook his head. “You were here just this morning, ‘Cobie. I’m not letting you do the closing shift as well.”

“Why do you feel like you have to protect me? I’m just trying to help out! You know that we would never be able to find a replacement for Kevin in time, on a Wednesday like this.”

Sangyeon sighed, and Eric knew him well enough to see that he was annoyed, but that he was trying his best to suppress it. “You’ve spent more time here than at your studio for how many weeks now? As soon as someone calls in sick, you cover for them. You’re here more than me, that’s not normal!”

“You can’t tell me what to do!”, Jacob exclaimed, frustration clear in his voice.

“This is still _my_ restaurant, and you’re my boyfriend, I’m not going to just sit around watching you waste your time on a part-time job when you could be working at chasing your dreams instead.”

Jacob crossed his arms over his chest. Eric shifted awkwardly on his feet, trying to make himself invisible where he stood by the door, not that either of them was paying any attention to him. He thought for a second about interrupting their fight, but ultimately, he knew he should let them have their moment, no matter how ugly the outcome might be.

“So, you’ve got no one for the closing today.” Jacob gave Sangyeon a challenging look. “Great, now, what will you do?”

“That’s _my_ problem, and not something you should be worried about.”

Sangyeon and Jacob stared at each other for a few seconds, none of them backing down from their position. Finally, Jacob opened his mouth to speak again.

“Look, I’m here already, and there is no one else for the closing shift. Just let me do it.”

Sangyeon sighed loudly, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Jacob, you’re not giving me a choice.”

The shadow of a victorious smile danced on Jacob’s lips. “I know you don’t have a choice, that’s why you should let me–”

“You’re fired.”

Jacob raised an eyebrow, and scoffed. “Yeah, right.”

“Really, Jacob.” Sangyeon replied. “I can’t let you carry on like this, Sunwoo’s been complaining about how he made progress on your tracks, but you’re never available to hear him out.”

Jacob’s face fell at each word that came out of Sangyeon’s mouth. His hands began shaking, and Eric could tell he was more than just mad, he was _angry._

“You can’t be serious.”

“I am. I am firing you, right now. I don’t want to see you here for one minute more.”

“Sangyeon, this is ridiculous!” Jacob exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.

“It’s still hyung to you, Jake”, Sangyeon bit back, and Eric thought he had never heard the older sound so cold in his entire life.

Jacob was at loss for words. He harshly untied his apron, and threw it angrily onto the floor. He stormed past Eric without even acknowledging the younger, and left the restaurant with the messy clinking sound of the bells.

Eric hadn’t realized he had been holding his breath. He finally let all the air out of his lungs, bringing Sangyeon out of his shocked state. The older’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Eric? Did you...”

“I heard, yeah. You fired your own boyfriend.” Eric crossed his arms over his chest, giving Sangyeon a disapproving look.

“I had to”, Sangyeon frowned as the guilt started to wash over him.

“I’m not saying it’s the worst decision you’ve ever taken, hyung, but you could have been nicer to him. All he wanted was to help you.”

“And I want to help him!” Sangyeon cried out. “He’s stalling on his music, the sole reason why he first came to Korea, he spends all of his time here! He goes to his studio at night, meaning he’s never in the right time frame to meet Sunwoo, and during the day, he’s here.”

Eric crossed the few meters between them to pat the older’s shoulder. “Well, I hope you’re looking forward to working the closing shift with me today.” Sangyeon gave him a pitiful look. Eric gave him a sympathetic smile in return. “We start in five minutes.”

The following weekend, Eric had instantly volunteered when Hyunjoon had asked for help moving all of his stuff out of his family’s house. That explained why he was now squished under two cardboard boxes at the back of Haknyeon’s car, right behind Hyunjoon’s seat and next to a grumpy Sunwoo – it was only eight in the morning, and according to the red-haired, he had been woken up at six. Ahead of them, Hyunjoon’s parents were the ones driving the rented truck full with pieces of furniture.

“Are we almost there?” Eric asked. “I can’t feel my legs.”

Haknyeon shot him a look through the rear-view mirror. “Eric, I swear if I hear you complaining one more time–”

“I wasn’t complaining!” Eric immediately exclaimed.

“Please,” Sunwoo groaned, his eyes closed, “I just want to sleep.”

“You’re both making me regret asking for your help”, Hyunjoon mumbled from the passenger seat.

“I can go back home _right now_ if you’d prefer that”, Sunwoo snapped back, his eyes now opened and holding an annoying look. “Or, since we’re near mine and Jacob’s studio, I can ask Haknyeon to drop me out right here and go take my deserved nap over there.”

“Wait,” Haknyeon interjected, “Hyunjoon, you didn’t tell us your new apartment was near their studio? That’s really cool!”

“I didn’t even realize”, Hyunjoon chuckled sheepishly. “But you’re right. It means I can drop over theirs whenever I feel like it”, Hyunjoon smirked, looking over his shoulder at Sunwoo.

“It also works the other way around”, Sunwoo threatened with a sharp tone, even though everyone knew he wasn’t really annoyed, and that the two of them really would most likely end up visiting each other a lot.

“I need to pee.”

“For god’s sake Eric!” Sunwoo exclaimed, knocking his head against the box in front of him.

“Sunwoo, there’s fragile stuff in there!” Hyunjoon panicked.

“Eric, look”, Haknyeon said. “Hyunjoon’s parents are stopping, I’m guessing we’ve arrived.”

The three passengers immediately leaned towards the right side of the car to stare out of the windows. They were stopping in front of an industrial-looking building, shorter than the ones around it. The building had few windows, and was only three stories tall.

“ _That_ is what we crossed the entire Seoul for?” Eric asked, slightly disappointed.

Hyunjoon rolled his eyes. “You haven’t seen inside yet. Now if you and Sunwoo are going to continue being difficult, you can both get out and walk back home. Sunwoo said he knows where we are, finding your way shouldn’t be a problem.”

Eric gulped at the threat, and leaned forward on his seat as much as he could, considering the boxes stacked on his lap. He blindly managed to pinch Hyunjoon’s cheek, before his hand was slapped away. “I’m sorry Hyunjoon-ie”, he spoke with a honeyed voice, “I promise I’ll help.”

“Can someone get me out of here?” Sunwoo whined, trying to push the boxes off of him, but the space around him was too cramped for him to move. “I’m stuck.”

“I’m coming, you big baby”, Haknyeon snorted, and got out of the car. He helped Sunwoo take the boxes down onto the floor, helped the grumpy boy out of the vehicle, and they carried the boxes onto the sidewalk.

“Hyunjoon-ie”, Eric called teasingly, “I also need help.”

“So do I, you don’t see me making a big deal out of it”, Hyunjoon retorted.

The black-haired finally managed to push his door open, and placed the box on his lap on the ground. He took a long step, over the box, and ended up next to Sunwoo and Haknyeon on the sidewalk. Eric looked at the trio, pouting as no one was making a move to help him. Sunwoo stuck out his tongue to him, and Haknyeon finally came to his rescue.

As soon as the weight of the boxes was taken off of his thighs, Eric moaned in satisfaction. He rubbed his pained legs, and finally got out of the vehicle.

The four of them first helped Hyunjoon’s parents with manoeuvring the furniture through the staircase all the way to the third floor, where Hyunjoon’s studio was. In front of Hyunjoon’s parents, both Eric and Sunwoo kept their mouths shut, not daring to complain about how heavy everything was in front of the elderly couple. Once the furniture was all set, the parents drove off with the truck, and the four friends were left with the boxes to carry by themselves.

After he’d finished putting a box down in Hyunjoon’s bedroom space, Eric found the older boy standing in front of the large bay windows of his new studio apartment, his hands stuffed in his pockets. Eric walked up to him, and took the time to admire the view for the first time. The back of the building was way more appealing than the front that they had seen upon their arrival. The view was open on a green park, and farther, they could see the rest of the city for meters on end.

“I’m going to quit Flower Snack”, Hyunjoon suddenly announced.

Eric turned around on his feet quickly. Hyunjoon’s eyes were still staring outside, filled with sadness and melancholy.

“What do you mean?” Eric asked, before he could hold back the useless question. But Hyunjoon didn’t seem bothered.

“I need to focus on my company, and on my studies. I can’t manage everything at the same time.”

Eric stretched his arms out, and engulfed his friend into a warm bear hug. He buried his head into the taller’s chest. “I’ll miss you”, he mumbled.

Hyunjoon hugged back after a few seconds, grateful for the sudden affection from the younger.

“This wasn’t an easy decision”, Hyunjoon’s voice sounded quite sad. “I’ll miss working with you guys.”

“I’ll still see you at school, right?” Eric asked, a hint of hope in his voice.

Hyunjoon chuckled softly, and Eric could feel him lay his chin on the top of his head. “We’re still friends, Eric. We can still hang out whenever we want. It’s just, I live a little farther now.”

“Good”, Eric mumbled contently.

Hours later, Eric was helping Hyunjoon carry grocery bags upstairs to his studio. Haknyeon and Sunwoo had had to leave earlier for different reasons, but Eric didn’t have anything else better to do than help his friend, which in all honesty, he was more than happy to do. The guys were all throwing him a housewarming party, and Eric was beyond excited. Their friends were set to start arriving in just under an hour, and he couldn’t wait to have everyone reunited again, because as often as he saw them, they were rarely ever all together in one place.

The first ones to arrive were Younghoon and Jaehyun, the latter making his grand entrance with a complain: “Joon, why do you live so fucking far?”, and the dramatics of his friend had Eric doubling in laughter.

“You didn’t even drive”, Younghoon reminded him with a roll of the eyes, but a smile on his lips as he greeted their two younger friends.

“I need a drink”, Jaehyun sighed as he flopped himself onto the couch.

Hyunjoon let out a snorted laugh, but disappeared into the kitchen to retrieve a can of beer for the older. Meanwhile, Younghoon was looking around, an impressed expression on his face.

It took a while after that for the rest of their friends to arrive; some of them arrived straight from work, Changmin from his studio, but soon enough the apartment was filled with laughter and half-empty takeout boxes, loud music blasting from Hyunjoon’s speakers and drinks being passed around mindlessly.

With the sun down, the view from the studio was entirely different; the city lights shined bright, twinkling at the pace of the city life. Eric was sitting on the floor right in front of the large window that went from floor to ceiling, his knees brought up to his chin and his head resting on Jaehyun’s shoulder. He recalled hearing their friends snickering about how their two loudest friends were rendered quiet by just a bit of alcohol, but Eric couldn’t care less about the teasing; simply listening to Jaehyun speak was hilarious, and the older seemed to find him just as funny, because despite being quiet, the both of them hadn’t stopped giggling together, and Eric had had to wipe a few tears of laughter away in order to keep a clear view on the city.

“It’s a true story, I promise!” Eric was telling Jaehyun, his words a bit sloppy. “I don’t know how she knew, but she was like ‘are you’re gay’ and I was like yeaaaah I am!”

Jaehyun burst out laughing, nearly sending Eric tumbling onto the floor with how hard he threw his body around as he did. Eric wasn’t any better, crashing more onto Jaehyun, his body shaking with laughter.

“Why did she even ask”, Jaehyun cackled, “you’re gay as fuck bro.”

“I don’t know!” Eric giggled like it was the funniest thing in the world. “Maybe because Juyeon hyung was working too! And mayyybe I was giving him heart eyes when—oh my god, imagine if our eyes had hearts?”

“Or if our heart had eyes!” Jaehyun gasped.

The both of them stayed silent for a second, before they started laughing again.

“But I’m serious Ric”, Jaehyun spoke, and he sounded a little angry. “Why did she want to know? It’s none of her fucking business.”

“I don’t know”, Eric frowned. He tried to make sense of the situation in his mind, but ended up zoning out for a few seconds.

“She was with her kids as well”, he replied after a while.

“Her kids! How old was she?”

“I don’t know!” Eric threw his hands in the air. “You need to let me get to the best part of the story.”

Jaehyun hummed, and shifted the both of them around until he could lay his entire body onto Eric’s lap, his face looking up at Eric. “Now I’m listening.”

“Good”, Eric grinned and booped Jaehyun’s nose. “So she asked me that, and then she was so mad at me”, Eric’s voice got progressively more high-pitched as he tried to hold his laughter in, “and I don’t even know what I did! Like, why did she ask a question if she didn’t want to hear the answer, right?”

“Right!” Jaehyun grinned up at him.

“And then”, Eric giggled, “she–”, another laugh, “she was _outraged_ that she had a gay dude as her waiter, so she asked to speak to the manager... but the manager is _Sangyeon hyung_!”, Eric was outright wheezing at this point, and he watched with satisfaction as Jaehyun burst out in laughter again.

Eric suddenly felt a foot nudge him in the back, and a deep voice brought his own laugh to complete silence. “Yah, what about ‘Sangyeon hyung’?”

He turned around at the speed of light, looking up to see Sangyeon himself standing in front of Jaehyun and him, a playful smile on his lips.

“Hyung-ie!” Eric beamed, making grabby hands at the older.

Sangyeon snorted, but picked Eric up nonetheless, helping the blonde stay steady on his feet as the shorter hugged onto him for dear life.

“How drunk are you?” Sangyeon chuckled, running a soothing hand through Eric’s hair.

“Wow, Juyeon is there and you’re happy to see _him_?” Jaehyun teased lazily from the floor.

Just as Jaehyun spoke, Eric looked over to the front door, seeing Juyeon greeting their other friends. He managed to remember that Sangyeon and Juyeon had been working the closing shift, and that this was the reason why they were arriving later than the others. And which probably explained why Juyeon was dressed the way he was, with his tailored pants and fitted sweatshirt, the fabric hugging his body perfectly, outlining his toned chest and muscled arms, the sleeves rolled up just to reveal Juyeon’s forearms. The realistic part of Eric’s mind reminded him he should probably not be getting a boner over a stupid sweatshirt. The other part, conveniently the one his drunk brain chose to listen to, thought it was a fantastic idea.

Eric kept peeking at Juyeon, hidden behind Sangyeon. His boyfriend was smiling, even laughing at something that one of their friends had said, Eric didn’t know, but he looked incredible, and just so handsome that this was probably illegal. The way Eric’s heart beat only for Juyeon was probably illegal, too.

“Hyung”, Eric suddenly panicked. “I think I’m not gay.”

From behind them, Jaehyun snorted. “Well, I think you’re stupid.”

“ _Hyunjae_ ”, Sangyeon warned, and he delicately pried Eric away from him to have a look at his face. “Eric, what’s making you say that?”

Eric could see right through the older’s fond smile and crinkled eyes. Sangyeon was holding himself back from laughing, and that made Eric pout even harder, and he felt tears prickle at the corners of his eyes, because he was being serious, and Sangyeon was just making fun of him.

“I don’t like boys”, he mumbled, “I just like Juyeon hyung.”

Sangyeon’s smile grew wider in amusement. He didn’t seem to believe him, but at least he wasn’t laughing. Sangyeon was too nice to make fun of Eric, even when he was drunk and probably spitting nonsense. But right now, what he was saying wasn’t “nonsense”, it was a very scary realization that had his heart thumping loudly against his chest.

“Oh, fuck off”, Jaehyun grumbled in annoyance from behind Eric, and walked away to the living room, where Eric lost sight of him amongst the crowd.

“Sangyeon hyung”, Eric felt his bottom lip wobble as he locked eyes with Sangyeon again. “I think I love Juyeon hyung”.

He felt tears escape his eyes before he could stop them, and through his blurry eyes he barely managed to make out the shape of Sangyeon chuckling fondly.

“Of course you do”, Sangyeon pulled him into a hug, running a reassuring hand over his back.

Eric felt the wrack of his sobs shake him around in Sangyeon’s hold.

“He won’t be happy to see you crying, though”, Sangyeon’s voice reminded him light-heartedly.

Eric understood that, and he willed himself to stop crying, even though his foggy brain acted on its own, and it was way more difficult to focus on his own tears than it appeared.

“Aw hyung, you made him cry”, a teasing voice came into the mix, and all the alarm signals in Eric’s brain went off as it recognized the source of all his tears.

“I think _you_ made him cry”, Sangyeon retorted with a chuckle. “Next time try to dress less sexy.”

Eric could hear the small noises of confusion Juyeon made, before Sangyeon gently unwrapped his arms from around him, gave him a quick pat on the head and left him standing alone in front of this beautiful man, too beautiful to be true, but this man was his, and Eric’s legs weakened at the reminder alone. His head spun, the music throbbing through his ears, but Juyeon was there, in front of him, very much real and unreal at the same time.

“Hey, Youngjae”, Juyeon wiped Eric’s tears with a small laugh.

That laughter was definitely not a normal reaction to seeing someone cry, Eric thought, which made him pout.

“Let’s stop crying now, okay? Hyung is here.”

Eric’s pout doubled at the words, and he tilted his head into Juyeon’s hand on his cheek. “You’re too beautiful to be true”, Eric mumbled before he could hold the thought back.

The most exquisite smile painted Juyeon’s lips, and Eric wasn’t sure if the reason for his cheeks warming up was Juyeon’s hands cupping them, or if it was simply the result of the Juyeon effect.

“ _You’re_ too beautiful to be true”, Juyeon replied without missing a beat. He leaned in to press a delicate kiss to Eric’s pouty lips.

“No”, Eric protested immediately. “ _You’re_ beautiful, and I am true.”

Juyeon chuckled quietly, clearly amused by Eric’s antics. “Sure, baby. Whatever you say.”

Eric felt Juyeon’s hands slowly leave his face, fingers coming to intertwine with his own instead. He stumbled a little as Juyeon pulled him towards him, then helping him towards the living room where their other friends were. Juyeon helped him sit down on the couch, but his help was no use when Eric lost his balance to come crashing onto Chanhee’s lap. The older groaned, but made no effort to push him away, instead starting to use his head as an arm rest to better hold his game controller.

Eric couldn’t see where Juyeon went, but his attention was quickly grabbed by Hyunjoon appearing right in front of him, an evil grin on his face. His friend handed him another beer, and Eric jostled out of Chanhee’s hold on him to drink it.

Probably no one had been watching him, because Eric knew for a fact that a few of their friends would have stolen his drink away immediately if they had seen him. The thought made him giggle.

“Thanks Hyunjoon-ie”, Eric smiled at the raven-haired, who shrugged nonchalantly.

“You’re more fun, and less annoying when you’re drunk”, Hyunjoon replied, settling his back against the bottom of the couch. Eric placed both hands on the boy’s shoulders to keep his balance as he leant down, and pressed his cheek against the top of Hyunjoon’s head.

“I take back what I said about you being less annoying”, the raven-haired groaned, but let Eric be anyway, and Eric smiled happily.

“Yah, I just lost because of you!” Chanhee suddenly slapped his arm, and stole Eric’s beer from the floor to drink the rest of it in one go.

“No, you lost because you’re a loser”, Changmin’s voice chirped in from the other side of the room.

Eric looked up to see the dancer seated in Kevin’s lap, both of them smirking proudly in Chanhee’s direction.

“I wanna play a game too”, Jaehyun protested, and stole the controller right from Changmin’s hands.

Changmin didn’t seem to mind, instead turning his head towards Kevin and messily shoving his tongue down his boyfriend’s throat. Eric quickly looked away.

“I’m gonna be sick”, he said as he leant his head back onto Hyunjoon’s head.

“Then get off me!” Hyunjoon shrieked in disgust, pushing Eric back up.

Eric giggled at Hyunjoon’s reaction. He settled into the back of the couch, head turning towards Chanhee slightly as to see what his friend was doing. On the other side of Chanhee was Younghoon, eyes also fixated on the tv screen in front of them. The both of them were speaking, probably, since their lips were moving, but Eric couldn’t hear anything anymore over the loud music and the subtle ringing in his ears, everything in the room seemingly distorted. Everything was probably not as loud as Eric heard it, but the pounding headache forming at the top of his forehead wasn’t helping.

Suddenly, a glass of water was lowered in front of him, and Eric jumped at the feeling of a hand on his shoulder.

“Drink this”, Juyeon spoke from behind him.

Eric had no idea how he’d managed to recognize Juyeon’s voice in the state he was in, but then again, it was Juyeon, the only person in the world that mattered to him, and Juyeon was telling him to drink water.

Eric latched onto the glass in front of him, bringing it to his lips and throwing his head back to steal big gulps from it. He felt some water spill over his chin and dribble down his neck, but Eric didn’t stop until the glass was completely empty and Juyeon was carefully taking it away from him.

Quickly, Juyeon’s hands returned around him from over the back of the couch, and Juyeon lowered one of his sleeves to dry the few water droplets off Eric. Eric felt himself leaning onto the touch as Juyeon’s other hand was pressing his upper body down against the couch.

“Okay!”, Jaehyun’s loud yell managed to pierce through the noisy room. “What game should we play next?”

The question wasn’t directed to him, but it had the wheels in Eric’s brain spinning faster than he could process. He barely felt the shift in Juyeon’s hands, not until he became aware of the two arms hugging him from behind, and a warm breath against his neck.

Eric smirked. What a perfect time to bring back his favourite game, that he honestly couldn’t believe he had never tried on Juyeon.

He freed himself from the hug in order to turn around on the couch. Juyeon was there, elbows supporting his upper body by leaning onto the back of the couch, softly smiling at him. Eric smiled back, and kneeled onto the cushions to bring himself closer to Juyeon. He felt his cheeks redden in excitement. He couldn’t wait to see what Juyeon’s reaction would be.

Eric sneaked a hand over Juyeon’s wrist, innocently wrapping his fingers around it. “Thank you, daddy.”

He looked expectantly for a reaction. He could see Juyeon taking a second to process his words, his face frozen in surprise. Then, his expression softened, and he chuckled.

“Anything for you, baby boy”, Juyeon grinned lovingly, and he leaned in to peck Eric’s forehead.

Eric’s breath got caught in his throat, and he choked in surprise. That wasn’t what he was expecting.

Something about Juyeon pronouncing the words “baby boy” _must_ have been illegal.

His entire face was burning in embarrassment now as the rest of the room exploded into uproar around them. His game had backfired on him, and quick.

“Ew, go away!”, Younghoon protested, his eyes still on the screen.

“We didn’t need to hear that!” Haknyeon’s voice exclaimed from somewhere else in the room.

Eric and Juyeon made eye contact, before they started laughing together. Juyeon leaned in once again, kissing Eric softly. When they parted, he brought a hand up to Eric’s blonde hair, and smiled at him. “Please never change, Youngjae”, his eyes were crinkled fondly, and Eric felt himself melt under the attention, his eyes welling up with tears again.

“Juyeon, I said don’t make him cry!” Sangyeon laughed from the other couch.

Juyeon paid him no mind, instead letting his fingers card through Eric’s hair. “I love you.”

Eric could barely hear all of his friends’ teasing when he started bawling his eyes out. Juyeon’s face panicked for a single second, before he disappeared from Eric’s view, only to come squeeze himself onto the couch next to him, and pulling him into a hug. Eric could hear his chuckles as he tried his best to calm him down, and Eric hid his head against Juyeon’s chest to let his tears fall freely, even though he wasn’t sure why he was crying.

It was a few minutes before Eric had a reason to move from his spot. His tears had stopped surprisingly quickly, yet Juyeon hadn’t made a move to push Eric away, and Eric felt warm like that, letting his senses come back to him as his last drink was wearing off. His fingers were gripping tightly at the front of Juyeon’s sweatshirt, while Juyeon’s hands roamed small circles along his back and his right hip.

The distraction came in the form of the doorbell ringing, and the sound of Hyunjoon’s footsteps hurrying towards the front door. Eric perked up curiously, because it was already so late that he had forgotten that Jacob and Sunwoo still hadn’t arrived, something about being caught up in their studio working on something important.

Just as he had guessed, the door opened to reveal Jacob and Sunwoo, Hyunjoon stepping aside to let them enter the apartment. Jacob immediately hugged Hyunjoon, while Sunwoo was looking around in shock. Yeah, Hyunjoon’s new apartment did that to people.

Eric then saw Jacob look over to the living room, and the older froze for a second. Eric frowned, until he saw what, or _who_ Jacob was looking at, and the memory of Sangyeon firing Jacob came back to his mind.

Sangyeon was looking everywhere but at Jacob. He squirmed uncomfortably in his seat, and suddenly he was very interested in the game being played on tv. Except there was no game anymore, just the home screen of the game, waiting for a new round to start.

Jacob didn’t move, not until Hyunjoon had to pull him towards the living room. Everyone had ended up hearing about what had happened between the couple at one point or another, and having everyone’s eyes on him was probably not making Jacob at ease.

But Jacob and Sangyeon still lived together, Eric reasoned. Things couldn’t have been _that_ bad.

Jacob circled around the couch, and went to sit down in the empty spot next to Sangyeon, at a very awkward distance if you asked Eric. Sangyeon didn’t even look his way, but he didn’t look at the tv anymore either, his eyes were kind of just staring at nothing, and Eric found it really weird.

“Hyung”, Jacob turned towards Sangyeon, who lowered his gaze onto his lap, where his hands were awkwardly playing with each other.

Jacob let out a small sigh, and he reached a hand out to wrap it around Sangyeon’s. “Look at me, Sangyeon.”

Slowly, Sangyeon turned his head towards Jacob. There was no other way to describe him other than that he looked like a kicked puppy, almost afraid of Jacob.

Everyone else had slowly gone back to what they were doing, Eric could even feel Juyeon going back to his discussion with Hyunjoon, but Eric couldn’t look away from the couple. Not until he knew they were okay.

“Sunwoo and I made a lot of progress today”, Jacob said, a shy smile dancing on his lips.

Eric watched, absorbed in the scene unfolding in front of him, as Sangyeon started smiling too, albeit a little shy.

“That’s fantastic, Cobie”, he whispered, and Eric internally applauded his own lip-reading skills.

Jacob nodded. The distance between the both of them was still too atrociously big for Eric, but at least Jacob was holding Sangyeon’s hands, in a way.

“I’m sorry it took me this long to realize you were just trying to help”, Jacob said, lowering his gaze shyly.

This time, it was Sangyeon who reached out, grabbing Jacob’s other hand to pull it towards him, along with the other. His thumb caressed Jacob’s hands gently.

“There’s nothing wrong with letting someone care about you, baby”, the older spoke.

Eric suddenly snuggled closer to Juyeon, feeling emotional all over again. This time, it wasn’t the alcohol’s fault at all, it was nothing but how soft Sangyeon and Jacob were being. Juyeon glanced down briefly at him at his small movement, and hugged him closer, before looking back at Hyunjoon.

“I’m glad you’re trusting me with that now”, Sangyeon admitted as his eyes met Jacob’s.

“I’m glad I am, too”, Jacob smiled.

Sangyeon gently let go of his hands, instead opening his arms as an invitation. Jacob scooted closer, diving right into Sangyeon’s embrace, and their lips met in the middle, their smiles still visible through the kiss.

Eric finally let them have their moment, looking away completely to lean his head onto Juyeon’s shoulder to let himself be comforted by the soft sound of his boyfriend’s voice.

Before he knew it, he was closing his eyes, and sleep was taking him away.

Juyeon was surprised when he looked down to notice that Eric had fallen asleep against him. The noise level around the room was so high that it always baffled Juyeon as to how easily Eric was able to drift off to sleep, but that was only one more endearing thing about the younger. Juyeon let his mind take him back to all the similar instances like this in the past, many of them taking place before Eric and him were even a thing. Juyeon remembered, later into their friendly gatherings, Eric would always inevitably come slumping down next to him, and before Juyeon knew it the younger would be asleep.

Before, Juyeon never dared move in fear of waking Eric up, not wanting the younger to finally realize that Juyeon was never the most comfortable human pillow in the universe, that some of their other friends could have been way more accommodating to him. Juyeon had never wanted Eric to stop coming to him, because he knew it would twist something ugly in him if the younger was to get up and pick someone else to lay on. It was stupid, but Juyeon wanted Eric to be as comfortable as possible, so that he wouldn’t have any reason to seek out for someone else.

Juyeon realized now why it was such a stupid thought, because Eric had never come to him because he was “comfortable” in the first place; with his hard muscles and sculpted shoulders, his thin t-shirts, or rough jean jackets, and his stiff position whenever Eric was near, Juyeon was probably the least comfortable human pillow in the universe. There was always Jacob a few meters away, all snuggly in his fluffy hoodies and always ready for a hug; there was always Kevin, who had a soft spot for Eric and whose perfume would surely have been way more pleasant to fall asleep to; there was always Haknyeon, small and cuddly, who would have welcomed Eric with open arms instead of pretending like he hadn’t noticed him.

Juyeon let his eyes trail over Eric’s soft features, his lips parted in his sleep and his eyes tightly shut. He really should have known all those years ago, instead of worrying about it, that Eric would always have come to him no matter what, jean jacket or soft hoodie, delicate perfume or not, none of that mattered, because Eric chose _him_. And now that they were together, Juyeon could get comfortable too, letting his body relax against the back of the couch, an arm wrapping protectively around the younger, and his other hand carding through his blonde hair. Eric wasn’t going anywhere, and Juyeon would never give him any reason to.


	23. things do get better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Through his friends, Eric discovers that uni isn't all fun and games.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> little emo 3am note today: i wrote a small part of this chapter for myself, and for all you lost children out there who can relate to what i'm about to say. i grew up in an environment where all adults around me had known since birth (or almost) what they wanted to do with their lives, and that isn't the case for me. if there's one actual message i want to spread with this fic, it's that it's okay to not know. it's okay to take time to figure yourself out (like haknyeon in this story), to completely change your mind (like sangyeon), to prioritize yourself (jacob, chanhee, hyunjoon), to change your path midway because you'd feel better doing something different (younghoon), to try and fail, and try again. things do get better, give yourself a chance. 
> 
> or you can just ignore this emo rant and just enjoy the juric fluff :)

Eric was convinced he had been cursed. That was the only explanation for him to be stuck at work on this beautifully hot Friday evening, and with Choi Chanhee out of everyone. Watching all of their friends make plans in their group chat, Eric couldn’t help but be jealous. School was kicking his ass already and he really could have used a friendly hang out to cheer himself up.

He watched with bored eyes as the only client in the restaurant left the store with her takeaway, and let himself doze off to the faint background music and the buzzing of the ac. No one came in for another ten minutes of him just standing there, and he was becoming a little impatient.

He left his spot by the register with the intention of asking Chanhee if they could close earlier. He took a few determined steps towards the counter, and leaned onto his elbows to have a better look at his friend.

At the sight of the lower counter, where Chanhee had laid textbooks, a ridiculous quantity of highlighters and his trusted notebook, Eric’s request totally slipped his mind.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

Chanhee lifted his gaze to him for a few seconds, before diving right back into his book, aggressively underlining a few words. “Studying”, he replied.

“At work?” Eric questioned. “On a Friday night?”

The older stayed silent for a while, before he gave a hum as a response.

“Who studies on a Friday night?” Eric shrieked in horror.

“Apparently I do”, Chanhee mumbled, as his eyes never left the book in front of him.

Their conversation stopped there, and Eric went back to sulking on his stool by the cash register.

By the time their shift was over, and that they had completed all their tasks, Eric and Chanhee hadn’t exchanged any more words, except for the minimum of communication required to do their job. They both met by accident in the break room, where they both went to retrieve their belongings.

“Do you need a lift?” Chanhee asked as Eric was putting his hoodie on.

Under the neon lights of the break room, Eric noticed how tired the older looked. It didn’t take much more to make him immediately shake his head. “It’s fine, I’ll just skateboard.”

Chanhee sighed, and sat down onto one of the chairs. His slouchy posture made him look even more exhausted.

“Eric, it’s dark, and I know your apartment is a bit far”, Chanhee argued.

“You look really tired, hyung”, Eric finally pointed out. “I’ll be fine, I’ve skateboarded the way before. You should go home and sleep.”

“I’m not tired”, Chanhee replied quickly.

Eric raised an eyebrow. Just then, Chanhee had to hide a yawn behind his hand.

“Okay, fine, maybe I am, but I’m still driving you back, and you can’t get yourself out of it.”

Eric skipped over to the seated boy, and bent over to hug him. “You know how much I love it when you drive”, he teased, not without worry for his friend.

“Were you done studying?”

Eric was looking at his friend, who had his eyes on the road, the car wrapped in the darkness of the night, the occasional city lights allowing Eric to examine his friend’s pale figure. Chanhee seemed to notice him from the corner of his eye.

“No, I’ll probably stay up tonight to finish up.”

Eric frowned. “But you have to sleep.”

Chanhee let out a half-hearted chuckle. “You start forgetting what sleep is somewhere during your first year at uni.”

“You look more exhausted than the others, though”, Eric pondered out loud. “Hyunjae hyung looks fine. Juyeon hyung too. I can’t say much about Kevin, but it even seems like school is making him happier.” Eric turned towards Chanhee. “But _you_ don’t look good.”

“You think too much, Eric-ah.”

That answer didn’t convince Eric in the slightest. He sighed, and sank back into his seat.

“Do you like it?” Eric asked. “Your internship?”

A small smile appeared on Chanhee’s previously stern face. “Yeah. I know I found the right place for me.”

Eric was satisfied at the older’s answer. Chanhee’s smile held the same truth as Jaehyun’s did whenever he spoke about his future career. And after this evening, he had come to witness just how dedicated Chanhee was towards his education.

Karma was a bitch. That was the only explanation Eric had to the situation he found himself in after Chanhee had dropped him off.

To Eric’s utmost dismay, Juyeon was also studying when he entered the apartment. On a Friday night! While all of their other friends were out and about having fun, Juyeon was hunched over the small desk in their bedroom, silently going over notes and typing away on his laptop.

There was no trace of Younghoon or Jaehyun in the apartment, and Eric knew, not without a little jealousy, that they had gone out with a few of their other friends. And from their group chat, Eric had also seen that everyone else had made plans. Everyone but Juyeon.

Stinky from his shift at the restaurant, Eric had intended for his trip to his bedroom to be as short as possible, just to grab some clean clothes before he could hop in the shower. Seeing Juyeon barely batting an eye at his entrance, though, sent all his urgent cravings for a shower flying out the window.

“Are you almost done?” Eric asked, timid, hopeful that Juyeon wasn’t _really_ studying on a Friday night.

Juyeon let out a soft sigh. He put his pen down, and finally turned his chair around to face Eric. He opened his arms, and Eric didn’t need any more hints, crossing the space in between them to come slotting himself in between Juyeon’s legs, leaning down to press a kiss against the older’s lips.

Soon, too soon, the arms wrapped around him disappeared, Juyeon grabbing his hands instead and leaning back in the chair to put some distance between them.

“I just have one more chapter to get through”, Juyeon smiled softly. “Then, I’m all yours.”

Eric grinned. He’d probably have just enough time for his shower, and Juyeon would be available when he’d come out. This was perfect.

“Get to it, then”, Eric laughed. He stole a quick kiss from Juyeon, and sprinted out of the room to the bathroom, folded clothes forgotten on the bed.

When Eric stepped back into their room, Juyeon was in the exact same position Eric had first found him in, not even looking up to acknowledge Eric walking in. From how hard he was concentrating on the screen of his laptop, Eric had no doubt he hadn’t even _heard_ him come in.

Eric got changed, walked out to go hang the towel to dry and back in to finally flop himself on their bed, all the while Juyeon was typing faster than Eric had ever seen him type, not bothered the slightest by the activity around him. The tension at the back of his neck told how stressed the older was, his foot tapping the floor anxiously.

Juyeon was a hard worker, and Eric knew that he never played around with his studies. The Juyeon in front of him was just how Juyeon was with everything he was truly invested in; giving it his all, to the point of becoming completely oblivious to his surroundings.

Sunwoo had told him that Juyeon acted the same whenever he looked at Eric, that he would stop paying attention to everything and everyone else as soon as Eric would show up. The thought was too much for Eric to handle.

Eric respected the passion Juyeon had for his major, even though he didn’t really understand how someone could ever want to study that much. If he himself had a choice to make between getting his brain attacked by pages and pages of theoretical bullshit, or cuddle with his boyfriend, well... was that even a question?

Things weren’t the same for Juyeon, Eric knew that. It was fascinating, to an extent, just how dedicated Juyeon got for everything having to do with his classes, merely two weeks into the semester, so Eric just laid in bed, absentmindedly scrolling through his phone while admiring the view of his boyfriend in his studying attire, baggy sweatpants and t-shirt with the sleeves cuffed on the edges.

“You’re distracting me”, Juyeon suddenly spoke, the signs of stress on his body had intensified slightly.

Eric couldn’t help but feel wronged at Juyeon’s statement. “I haven’t done anything!”

“Exactly”, Juyeon groaned, still not looking at him. “I can’t stop thinking about you, how you’re just _there,_ waiting for me when I know you’d rather be doing literally anything else.”

It was Eric’s fault for forgetting just how caring Juyeon was. Of course, in the middle of his very serious and intense study session, Juyeon would be bothered by the fact that Eric wasn’t one who usually liked to sit around doing nothing, and knowing he was the one holding him back, of course that would make Juyeon feel like a terrible boyfriend. That was just how Juyeon was.

“It’s fine, hyung”, Eric protested immediately, but they both knew Juyeon was right. Eric was itching to be on the move again, to go out, see friends, do something, anything.

“This chapter is going to take me a while, Youngjae”, Juyeon spoke slowly, and the guilt in his voice made Eric feel even guiltier. “You don’t have to wait for me, I... I think Younghoon and Hyunjae went to hang out with the guys downtown. It’s not too far, you’d be able to find them.”

Eric fervently shook his head, even though Juyeon wasn’t looking at him.

“No, I’ll wait. I’m watching this new kdrama on my phone, it’s really interesting!” Eric tried to sound as cheerful as he could, even though that was a blatant lie. He didn’t even have earphones plugged in.

Juyeon sighed. “Youngjae...”

“I’m serious, hyung. I don’t mind waiting, but you have to promise me you’ll focus until you’re done.”

From the way Juyeon stilled all movements, Eric knew the older was conflicted.

“Are you sure?” the guilt was still apparent in Juyeon’s voice.

“Yes, very sure. Now _promise_ ”, Eric demanded.

A few seconds passed.

“I promise”, Juyeon finally said.

Eric smirked. “Good. I’m not going anywhere”, he declared, and settled himself more comfortably against the pillows.

Another silence settled between them. Just as Eric thought Juyeon was going to go back to studying, the older shifted a bit on his chair, and let out a small chuckle in disbelief.

“Fuck, I love you”, Juyeon said, shaking his head and getting back to his laptop.

For the next half an hour, the only sounds in the room had been coming from Juyeon’s keyboard, and occasionally the flipping of pages from his textbook. Nothing on Eric’s phone had been interesting enough to tear his attention off Juyeon, making sure the older was getting productive. He’d seen Juyeon’s body relax as he progressed through the chapter he was studying, reassuring Eric.

Juyeon startled Eric by suddenly pushing his chair back, not even taking the time to properly shut his laptop or tidy up the mess he had made on the desk. Eric immediately threw his phone to the side when Juyeon came directly to him, slumping down next to him and lazily nuzzling his head into the crook of Eric’s shoulder.

“Did you finish everything you wanted to finish?” Eric asked, letting one of his hands rub circles onto Juyeon’s back.

The older nodded, and threw an arm around Eric’s waist. He inhaled directly into Eric’s neck. “Thank you for waiting. I needed this”, he admitted, voice barely louder than a whisper as he snuggled closer to Eric.

Warmth spread all over Eric’s body at the confession, and he found himself blushing without intending to.

He then remembered his discussion with Chanhee earlier, and he couldn’t help but notice similarities between his friend and his boyfriend: Juyeon had been studying quite a lot these past days, now that he thought about it, almost neglecting his own primary needs. Did that mean he shared Chanhee’s views on sleep, too?

Eric inwardly shook his head. He would make sure Juyeon always slept a healthy amount. He had no idea what he would do if one day his boyfriend started looking as exhausted as Chanhee did, but he would do everything he could so that it would never happen. He would do his best to prevent it from happening to Chanhee again, too.

It was a while of Eric being lost in thoughts, Juyeon apparently doing the same as he was barely moving, the only indicator that he wasn’t asleep being his fingers delicately running up and down Eric’s waist. Suddenly, Juyeon shifted around, laying on his back, repositioning his head onto Eric’s stomach until his eyes were looking up at him. It was funny, how tall he was, yet his long legs were folded so that they wouldn’t fall off the bed.

“Wanna go out?” the older offered, head tilting slightly.

“What, right now?” Eric spluttered in surprise.

Juyeon hummed. “I know you were disappointed that I was studying instead of taking you out tonight.”

Eric frowned, about to protest, but he backed down quickly. Juyeon was right, and there was no point lying to him. He wouldn’t exactly mind cuddling with Juyeon for the rest of the evening, until they fell asleep, but it was true that he would prefer going out, explore the city with Juyeon, walking around hand in hand.

“What about you?” Eric asked instead, Chanhee’s words replaying in his mind. “Are you not tired?”

Juyeon was quick to shake his head. “I’m good. And I can sleep in a bit tomorrow before my shift at Flower Snack, anyway.”

There was no uncertainty in Juyeon’s eyes, no indicator that he might be saying stuff just so that Eric wouldn’t worry. If Eric recalled properly, Juyeon had to leave for work at eleven the following morning. That was a reasonable sleeping schedule.

“It’s true that staying inside sounds boring right now”, Eric admitted, a little ashamed of his request when Juyeon had already been working so hard all day.

“And it’s been a while since we’ve been on a date”, Juyeon then added innocently. All doubts vanished from Eric’s mind.

Eric lifted his head up in interest, his curious eyes meeting Juyeon’s calm ones. “Where are we going?” he asked, his voice betraying his excitement.

Juyeon rolled his head on Eric’s stomach, his cheek squished against him. It made him look as if he was pouting. “The beach, maybe? We don’t have to go all the way to Daecheon, let’s go to Haeundae this time.”

“I like Daecheon though”, Eric looked at Juyeon with puppy eyes.

Juyeon snorted. “Yah, you’re not the one that’s gonna have to drive an hour to get there.”

“But hyung”, Eric whined, both hands reaching to grab Juyeon’s closest one. “It’s Friday. We have all the time in the world.”

Juyeon glanced up at Eric’s pleading expression, and Eric could see exactly the moment his will crumbled, a small smile appearing on his face as a laugh bubbled past his lips, his eyes crinkling.

“You’re lucky I love you”, Juyeon said, nothing but love for Eric in his eyes.

Eric’s heart skipped a beat. “I know.” _I know I’m lucky._

The weight on his stomach disappeared, Eric’s eyes following Juyeon as the older climbed on top of him, both legs either side of his waist, caging him under his body. Juyeon leaned down to leave a lingering kiss on Eric’s lips, nothing but sweet, delicate, yet enough to set Eric’s entire body on fire.

A second later, Juyeon was hopping off the bed, offering Eric a hand to help him up.

“I hope you don’t mind me looking like _this_ for our date, though”, Juyeon teased, gesturing at his comfy and oversized clothes.

Eric shook his head, holding back a laugh. “You’re perfect, hyung.” He stole a quick kiss from the older, and stepped back, not able to hide his smirk anymore. “Because you’re finally giving me a chance to look better than you.”

He hurried out of the bedroom before Juyeon could catch him, hearing the older rush after him. “Yah, Sohn Youngjae!” he could hear the older yell angrily. “You’re good-looking, you hear me? You’re handsome!”

The next Tuesday, Juyeon deemed it appropriate to finally introduce Eric to his favourite lounging spot on their university campus. He had shown it to the younger once, on the very first day of classes, but Eric had admitted to have never actually gone there on his own, or with anyone. So, while Eric was done with his classes for the day, Juyeon had an hour of break to sit through, which was the reason why he’d convinced Eric to stay with him to study on campus. Even though their apartment was just five minutes away, and Eric had made a very good point that they did have enough time to head back home and mess around together, but Juyeon had a test he really wanted to get some last-minute studying for. Another day, though, they would definitely do that.

In their “students group chat”, really just a group chat with those of their close friends who went to the same university, they had found out that some of them were already at the hang out spot.

It wasn’t anything special; just a table on the fourth floor, tucked into a windowed corner of the building, somewhere under the staircase where not many people thought to come and check. It made a perfect hide out, private and quiet, well-suited for naps or make out sessions, or to meet up with their student friends.

When Eric and Juyeon made it there, three of their friends were already occupying half of the available chairs. And an extra one, if you counted the fact that Sunwoo was laying on two of them, apparently asleep. Which conveniently left two chairs for Eric and Juyeon to take.

The blonde-haired pulled the nearest chair out and unceremoniously dropped himself on it, abandoning his backpack somewhere by his feet. Juyeon was a bit more careful when he took the last chair, next to Kevin, who seemed focused on drawing something on his ipad. With Kevin so focused on his art project – they knew better than to disturb an artist during a creative outburst – and Sunwoo half hidden inside his hoodie with, Eric had no doubt, his earbuds tucked in his ears, the only one to greet the couple was Younghoon, who looked up from his biology textbook with a sincere smile.

“Hi guys”, he greeted, voice quiet as if to not bother their two other friends.

They both waved back at him. Juyeon pulled a notebook and his pencil case out of his bag, and immediately got to work. Eric was about to take his phone out to distract himself when he noticed the way that Younghoon briefly stared at Juyeon’s notes. Eric nudged him, and leaned closer to the taller boy to whisper a “You’re glad you dropped that major, right?”.

Younghoon turned to him, and there it was; the smile that Eric had begun to notice appear more frequently on his friends’ faces. It was there on Sangyeon, whenever he spoke about his restaurant. On Changmin, whenever he told them what he was up to with his new dance contract. On Jaehyun and Chanhee, whenever they’d speak about their internships and their approaching graduations.

Summer had left a lot of them lost about their goals, lost with their dreams, not really knowing the difference between what they wanted and what they _thought_ they wanted. Summer had also fixed things, it had allowed the boys to find their paths, through many ups and downs, but Eric was finally seeing the end results. It was only the beginning of the journey for the majority of them, like Younghoon, and himself, but if those first three weeks of school could already bring such a bright smile out of Younghoon, Eric guessed it could only mean his friend was finally on the right path.

“I think I’ll have to drop Flower Snack”, Younghoon whispered back. His face had turned into a worried expression, a deep frown in between his eyebrows and his lips pinched together.

The sentence dropped on Eric like a cold shower, and he was reminded that as much as it overjoyed him to see his friends chase their dreams, it also meant that some of them had already started to move on. Just like Jacob, who was now dedicating reasonable working hours every day to his and Sunwoo’s music studio. Just like Changmin, who was, thankfully for him, fully booked at his dance studio. Just like Hyunjoon, who’s company was finally growing successfully in the direction he wanted.

“I really want to do well in this major, it’s... it’s all I’ve ever wanted”, Younghoon’s quiet voice pierced through his thoughts. “I love it so much. And, I make enough money from modelling. I don’t need– I _can’t_ handle two part-time jobs.”

Just like Younghoon, who was being handed modelling offers left and right, and who would gladly rather stick his nose into a book about animals’ anatomy than work for more often than not ungrateful customers.

Nothing would ever be the same.

“That’s... that’s really cool, hyung.”

“You don’t seem so sure, though.”

Eric quickly shook his head, and forced a warm smile onto his face. “No, of course I’m happy for you!” He really was. “I’ll just miss working with you.” He really would.

Younghoon gave him a small grin, and reached over to ruffle his hair. Eric feigned annoyance, pushing Younghoon’s hand back with a small protest, but that only made the taller scrape his chair closer to him, and trap him playfully in between his arms.

The commotion tore both Juyeon and Kevin’s attention away from their homework. Eric could see the both of them from underneath Younghoon’s arm, and he could hear Juyeon say something before he was allowed to see the light again, gasping dramatically for air and making his friends laugh at his little act.

Kevin then started to tuck his ipad away in his bag, along with his water bottle and an empty snack box. “Guys, I’m sorry I didn’t get to talk to you, but I gotta run, I have a class in three minutes”, he explained while getting up.

Eric extended his hand towards him, a clear invitation to a handshake that Kevin immediately accepted. “No worries hyung, see you later!”

“See ya!” Kevin sing-sang, and walked away with light footsteps.

For the first time in a while, Eric observed, Kevin had looked relaxed. He looked like the Kevin he always knew, not the depressed version of him that Eric had trouble understanding. Eric was really glad for Changmin; he was certain that the dancer was helping Kevin a lot. Surely, classes restarting had also been great for Kevin, as he got to be surrounded with things he was passionate about again.

Not long after Kevin had left, Sunwoo suddenly sprang up from his laying down position, pushing down his hoodie and holding his phone to his ear.

“Uh?” he answered the call, looking exactly like what he was supposed to look like; someone who had just been awoken from a well-deserved nap.

Eric could see both Juyeon and Younghoon’s heads dip down to their homework. Eric went back to fumbling with his phone, but he ended up paying more attention to Sunwoo’s conversation than to the screen.

“Eh, no, I’m still at school. I told Hak I’d wait for him”, Sunwoo said, tiredly rubbing a hand over his face.

Sunwoo stayed quiet, biting his bottom lip. Then, his eyes opened wide in surprise. “Wait. Wait, wait, wait.”

Eric cocked an eyebrow, but Sunwoo wasn’t looking at him. His gaze was fixed into nothingness as he listened to whoever he was speaking to, and then his jaw dropped. “I’ll be on my way as soon as I can. Hyung, you’re the best!”

Sunwoo then ended the call, and almost threw his phone onto the table. His eyes met Eric’s in astonishment. Just as Eric was about to ask what had just happened, Sunwoo spotted something behind Eric. He got up on his feet and Eric looked at him over his shoulder.

Sunwoo almost ran to meet Haknyeon right before the older could even say hi to his friends. He grabbed the shorter boy by the shoulders and promptly kissed him on the lips. To say that Haknyeon was startled would be an understatement. Eric almost laughed at how comical he looked, his eyes opened in surprise as Sunwoo kissed him. He pressed their lips together for a few seconds, and pulled away, leaving Haknyeon frozen in place with a slight blush creeping up his cheeks. He really wasn’t used to Sunwoo acting like this in public.

“Hak, we got a call”, Sunwoo panted, his hands still grasping his boyfriend’s shoulders over the straps of his backpack. His smile was so wide it reached his ears. “They just want us to make a few adjustments, but they’re going to buy it from us!”

Haknyeon squealed happily, his smile suddenly almost as wide as Sunwoo’s. “Sun, that’s amazing!”

They both stared into each other, Sunwoo giggling in happiness. Eric would hate to be the one to break their moment, but he really wanted to know what this was all about.

“What’s happening?” he asked, loud enough to reach Sunwoo’s ears.

Sunwoo finally let go of Haknyeon’s shoulders, moving out of the way with the clear intention of going back to sit down. Before he could take a step away, Haknyeon planted a quick kiss on his cheek, which had Sunwoo redden. Haknyeon laughed a little, and sat down in Kevin’s previous spot. Sunwoo went the other way around the table, taking back the chair he had been using.

The situation had once again taken Juyeon and Younghoon’s attention away from their books. Sunwoo was well aware he had a full audience when his gaze went over each of his friends.

“Jacob hyung just called”, he finally spoke. Eric was on the edge of his seat. “About a week ago, we sent a demo to a pretty big label, but we didn’t really expect a response. Apparently, they really liked it, and they’re interested to work with us to finish producing the song.”

Eric’s jaw dropped at the news. “Oh my god, Kim Sunwoo!” he yelled.

Younghoon, sat the closest to the red-haired, gave him an enthusiastic pat on the back. “Congrats, Sunwoo!”

“Well then, why are you still here?” Haknyeon suddenly asked. “Go meet up with Jacob hyung!”

Sunwoo turned his head towards him, a small pout adorning his lips. “I wanted to spend your break with you. I waited for you.”

Haknyeon blushed, but shook his head. “I’ll wait for you in return, always, but that big label won’t wait forever.”

Sunwoo blinked, then breaking into a dumb smile. They all knew that Sunwoo was really secret about his feelings in public, never too touchy nor very vocal about them. It worked well for him and Haknyeon, since Haknyeon would inevitably get flustered any time Sunwoo would as much as stare at him in front of other people. This was the reason why what came next surprised the three other boys around the table.

“I love you”, Sunwoo confessed, staring at Haknyeon like they were the only ones there.

Of course, Haknyeon’s cheeks blushed even harder. “I love you too”, he stammered a bit, still in shock. Sunwoo leaned over to peck him on the lips, and got up from his chair.

The red-haired picked up his phone from the table, and waved goodbye to everyone before walking away, a barely noticeable jump in his steps. Eric had never seen his best friend so happy.

As for Haknyeon, he looked happier, too. Not just because of his boyfriend, but Eric found that ever since he’d decided on doing his major in journalism, he looked more focused, more passionate towards everything he was doing, even the most futile things. He also seemed like he was at the right place, at the right time– his year off school had probably been just what he needed.

Eric knew he liked his own major already. He knew he enjoyed working at Flower Snack, that he loved his friends, and skateboarding, and playing video games all night. He already had everything to make him happy, but he wondered what would be _the_ thing to make him look so brightly into the future, to motivate him through the hardships he would encounter on his way to achieve his life goals.

As dangerous as it was to feel this way about a relatively new relationship... Juyeon. It was Juyeon. The boy that had helped him grow so much in the past months, helped him be more confident in himself, and most importantly, taught him about love.

Eric was convinced he _really_ had been cursed. Why else would he be scheduled to work, on this Tuesday afternoon, with Chanhee, _again_?

He had walked directly to the restaurant from school. He squeezed his backpack against his shoulders as he walked into the shop. It was almost three in the afternoon, meaning that the restaurant was rather empty.

He passed through the dining room, waving Sangyeon hello. In the kitchen, he excitedly greeted Jaehyun. He guessed Jaehyun must be working through dinner as well, and he couldn’t wait to be working with him. Jaehyun was always a lot of fun.

Eric got himself ready in the break room, and once he was done, he noticed he still had about ten minutes before the beginning of his shift. He decided to head back into the kitchen, where he sat down onto one of the stools, and started to chat with Jaehyun as the older was cooking.

Sangyeon suddenly walked into the kitchen. He stopped a few feet from the door, and wiped his hands on his apron. “Oh, Eric, good that you’re here. I need to talk to you.”

Eric frowned. “Okay.”

Sangyeon turned to Jaehyun, who was leaning back onto one of the counters. “It shouldn’t take long, the restaurant is empty for now but just come and get me if someone walks in.”

Jaehyun nodded, and Sangyeon walked right next to Eric. He motioned for the blonde to follow him, and Eric saw him making a turn into his office. He quickly obliged, and met the older in the small room.

Sangyeon was pacing around in the room, and Eric stood awkwardly by the door.

The older stopped walking, facing Eric. “We’re going to be closing at six today.”

Eric tilted his head curiously. “Why?”

This definitely wasn’t a normal situation. On weekdays, the restaurant always closed at nine.

Sangyeon moved to take a seat at his desk, and pulled the other chair as an invitation for Eric to take it. The waiter crossed the short distance and took his place next to Sangyeon.

“This is the key to lock the pantry, this is the spare one to my office”, Sangyeon started pointing out at a set of keys displayed on the wooden desk. “this one opens the safe that’s in the third drawer”, he made a pause to open said-drawer, showing Eric the metallic black safe that Eric had already seen a few times. “Before you leave, just put everything that’s inside the cash register into a bag, and lock it inside, I’ll deal with it tomorrow morning. You don’t need to fill out a report sheet since I never showed you how, but you can–”

“Hyung”, Eric interrupted him, “why are you telling me all of this?”

He sent his friend a questioning look, but he wasn’t prepared for the response he got. “I’m gonna need you to do the closing on your own, since Hyunjae’s shift finishes at six, and I can’t ask him to stay longer, he’s been here since ten this morning.”

Eric was more than confused. “What about Chanhee hyung?”

Sangyeon sent him a bittersweet smile. “He quit three days ago. He said it was because of you, actually.”

Eric’s mouth fell open at the revelation. Sangyeon chuckled at his reaction. “Don’t be so surprised. It’s the right decision for him, I know it, and I made sure to tell him he had my full support. I’m glad you helped him with his decision.”

“But hyung, I had no idea!” Eric didn’t understand what was happening. Why would Chanhee quit because of him? Was he that bad of a co-worker? Sure, him and Chanhee bickered a lot, but Eric thought it had always just been for fun. Did Chanhee hate it that much?

“He said he hadn’t realized how exhausted he was until you pointed it out to him”, Sangyeon offered as an explanation. “That opened his eyes on how unhealthy lifestyle actually was.”

The confession made Eric’s heart sink. It hadn’t taken very long for Eric to notice Chanhee had been one all-nighter away from collapsing, but for Chanhee to quit immediately after Eric had talked to him, how long had this lasted for? Flower Snack hadn’t been Chanhee’s first part-time job, and far from it. At least, now Chanhee would have more free time, time to relax, time to sleep properly, and focus on the things he loved.

“Why didn’t you call someone to replace him?” Eric asked.

As the words left his mouth, he quickly realized why. There just wasn’t anyone available.

Just before Sangyeon was about to reply, Eric held his hand up. The older kindly let him have his thinking moment.

Changmin had quit a few weeks ago. Sangyeon had fired Jacob himself, all for good reasons, but Jacob wasn’t set to come back to working at the restaurant any time soon because of that. Hyunjoon had left around two weeks ago to focus on his company. Chanhee had quit over the weekend, and Younghoon had talked to Sangyeon earlier that day, letting him know of his decision to quit.

Eric’s head snapped back towards Sangyeon. “With Chanhee hyung, that’s five of us who left already”, Eric realized with a shock.

Sangyeon nodded slowly. “It’s getting harder to replace you guys whenever one of you can’t make it. I’ll... I’ll have to find a solution.”

Eric frowned at that. “A solution?”

The brown-haired boy gave him a sad smile. “I guess good things don’t last forever.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no we won't talk about how there is only one chapter left after this. please don't. i'm begging you.


	24. season finale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> oh yeah this is called season finale because this story was kinda built like a tv show and this is the last episode

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter took a bit longer to write, because i noticed this story was so close to 130k words, and as an ot7 ikonic, if it’s 130 i can’t just leave it at 130 and not make it 131 sooo did i really end up writing a whole 131k words of juric fluff? i’m embarrassed.

The days had gotten chillier with each passing week. The leaves in the trees had started to fall, and it rained more frequently now.

It was crazy how so many things could change in just a couple of months.

If this had been back in September, Eric would have been sat around a lively table, sharing laughs and his breakfast with his boyfriend and two of his best friends. He would be feeling all warm inside, happy to be surrounded by some of his favourite people on Earth. He would have cuddled up against Juyeon after having eaten everything in under a minute, thrown jokes around with Jaehyun, laughed even harder when Younghoon would complain about them being too loud.

If this was September, Eric maybe would have a valid reason to be up so incredibly early. Perhaps to get ready for a morning shift at Flower Snack. Or he’d be off to spend the weekend with his friends at Younghoon’s family cabin in the woods, squeezed in a car with a handful of them.

Eric wasn’t awake for Flower Snack. It had been a few months since he had last even as much as stepped foot in the place. He wondered how Sangyeon’s flowers were holding up against the harsh winter weather slowly taking over Seoul.

And his new job, although quite challenging, was never starting before eleven in the morning. Eric was used to lazy mornings now, never having to wake up before the sun did. On weekends at least, that was. School was a whole other story.

It wasn’t anything huge, just a part-time job in some skateboard repair shop, a job he had gotten through a new friend he had made in his classes, Felix. Eric’s new job had everything on paper to make it be the part-time job of his dreams; his new friend and co-worker was really nice, impossibly funny, and the job on its own did revolve around one of his biggest hobbies. In theory, Eric was living the dream, getting paid above minimum wage to be talking about skateboarding all day with people just as passionate as him. Deep within his heart, though, Eric imagined himself back at Flower Snack, teasing Chanhee or helping Haknyeon out with his English.

At least he wasn’t unemployed, that was what he tried telling himself to cheer up. Working with Felix was genuinely fun, most of the time, and some days the Australian kid made him laugh so hard he almost believed he was actually back in Flower Snack, joining forces with Sunwoo to prank whoever unlucky person happened to be working with them, or chasing Jaehyun around with a bucket of dirty water. It wasn’t like Eric had been forced to leave Flower Snack. He had left with a heavy heart, yes, maybe shed a tear or two, but it had all been his decision. Sangyeon absolutely would have kept him, Eric had no doubt, but ultimately, he knew he had to leave. He didn’t belong in Flower Snack anymore.

Eric wasn’t awake for a weekend trip with friends either, but that one was a lot easier to explain. December had come knocking on everyone’s door unannounced, and most of Eric’s friends were suffering the consequences of finals approaching faster than they’d anticipated. Everyone got busy, everyone had better things to do.

In comparison with everyone else, Eric’s first semester had been relatively easy. His teachers didn’t ask too much of him, and he was glad for the spare free time he seemed to have over his friends. It allowed him to explore, meet new people, enjoy life as much as he could. He had grown a lot in the past few months– sadly not in height, but as a person, he was learning a lot about himself. He was trying things out, making mistakes, a lot of them stupid ones, but he lived as free as he had ever lived.

If this was September, rainy weekend mornings would have brought nothing but warmth to Eric. Despite the cold weather, despite the depressing cloudy sky, Eric would have had many reasons to be happy. Now, it was December, and Eric was curled up on the worn-out couch of his ridiculously small new apartment, staring blankly out the window at the raindrops tracing patterns on it. Eric was tired because of how early it was, cold without a certain familiar body engulfing him to compensate for the lack of heating in the apartment. Rent was definitely more expensive without three other people to share it with. Days were a lot duller when there wasn’t a pissed off Jaehyun banging on the bathroom door for him to hurry up with his shower, without the usual fights over which movie to watch. Juyeon always had the final word then, he always did. Eric had never noticed how Juyeon would so easily outsmart them every single time, letting the other three argue until they were too exhausted to think any further, and swooping in at the last second with a suggestion of his own that no one had the energy to refuse.

Eric missed those moments, every single day. Every single day, he wondered how the boys over at his old apartment were doing. Did they miss him, the same way he missed them? Had anything changed, now that Eric wasn’t there to keep up with Jaehyun’s chaotic energy? Eric knew that the other two weren’t much on the confrontational side. They probably let Jaehyun sulk on his own instead of firing him up the way Eric would.

It was so cold, yet the rain was pouring, flooding the street a few floors down, the air not cold enough to become snow. Maybe Eric was just a little grumpy, but it was stupid how he had to suffer so much from the cold, yet not even get to taste the little bit of joy that the snow could have brought to his life.

He missed Juyeon’s arms around him. He missed the sweet kisses, getting lost in each other’s eyes for hours as if there wasn’t anything better to do. There hadn’t been, back then, because they had been naive, so, so in love. They hadn’t known that the world kept turning around them even if time seemed to have stopped when it was just the two of them. They hadn’t cared, but everything was so good then. Getting wrapped into each other, never having enough. There had been a point where Eric couldn’t be seen without Juyeon, and Juyeon without Eric. Everything they did, they did together, at their own pace, like they had all the time in the world.

Well, turns out, they didn’t have all the time in the world. Eric should have known, that this wasn’t going to last. That there would come a time where he would have to let Juyeon go, where he would have to learn to breathe on his own again. He should have known that it was only a matter of time before life would come between them, pushing them apart so naturally that they hadn’t seen anything coming at first. It had been hard, getting his Juyeon privilege taken away from him, losing his 24/7 access to the boy that was his anchor, his soulmate.

Now, Eric saw it. He saw everything, felt everything. Every second without Juyeon. Everyone he met that _wasn’t_ Juyeon, he would only be able to daydream about how nice it would be to crawl back into Juyeon’s arms, or at least to have the older there with him as he made his first steps into adult life. The first time he went clubbing with friends from university, he spent the entire night longing for only one person. Not to say that he didn’t have fun, no, because Eric did remember how to have fun without Juyeon. Having fun _with_ Juyeon was just... better. In every way.

“The rain won’t turn into snow if you keep staring at it, you know”, a voice called from the kitchen.

Eric was startled at the sudden voice pulling him out of his thoughts. The entire apartment had been quiet for way too long, Eric had almost forgotten he wasn’t actually alone in it.

He turned around on the couch, now facing the kitchen where Juyeon was leaning onto the counter with a sweet smile, the one he reserved exclusively for Eric and that made the young boy’s heart beat faster every single time.

“What are you doing?” Eric couldn’t help but ask.

Juyeon raised a mug in the air, shaking it for emphasis. “Coffee break.”

Seeing the dark circles appear under his boyfriend’s eyes broke Eric’s heart a little more every day. He had promised himself he wouldn’t let this happen to Juyeon, yet here they were, days before Juyeon’s last exams, and Eric had failed his promise. Maybe it had been an impossible challenge from the beginning, but Eric had only realized that after seeing the harsh reality of Juyeon’s school planner for the last month of the year.

It hurt when he saw how tired Juyeon was, the way he drank coffee like his life was on the line, how in the morning Eric would find him asleep in the kitchen, cuddling with his textbooks instead of with Eric, in their bed.

“What are _you_ doing?” Juyeon turned the question back on him, raising an eyebrow as he drank from his mug.

“I’m being supportive and not letting you wake up at six on a weekend by yourself”, Eric replied without missing a beat.

Juyeon chuckled, putting his mug down. Eric soaked up every single noise Juyeon made, the relaxed laughs being a rarity these days. When he had been sat at the table he had claimed as a desk for the time being, their bedroom way too small to house a proper desk, Juyeon had looked like a nervous-wreck, gripping at his hair and frowning when things didn’t seem to be going his way, the caffeine in his veins definitely not helping ease his stress. Eric had watched him for a while, worried that Juyeon might have been so stressed that he wouldn’t be able to get anything done.

“You said you’d study with me though”, Juyeon pouted.

Eric froze – quite literally, he was so cold, right next to the window, not even using the blanket that usually worked as a stand-up for the missing heater.

Juyeon was right, Eric _had_ said he would study with Juyeon. That didn’t mean he meant it, though. Eric had learned his way around Juyeon; the older would never have woken him up with him if he didn’t think Eric had something to do. The lie had slipped out easily, and Eric hadn’t thought further than about the moment Juyeon would wake him up instead of letting him sleep, because Juyeon was that good of a boyfriend.

Eric laughed nervously.

“Yeah, I know I _said_ that–”

Juyeon rolled his eyes as he went to drop his mug into the sink. His movements were slightly shaky, but it wasn’t anything Eric hadn’t gotten used to seeing over the previous days.

“But you didn’t mean it”, Juyeon completed for him. “So, you fooled me again.”

There was no bite in Juyeon’s statement, simply the realization that he had been tricked. Eric felt a little bad, but no harm had been done, and Eric shook off the guilt.

Instead of going right back to the dining table after his coffee, Juyeon took the few steps separating the kitchen and the living room to come sit down next to Eric. The older placed his hands on Eric’s thighs, and leaned in to seal their lips together, slowly, like they had all the time in the world, when Eric knew Juyeon had everything but time at the moment. No matter how busy Juyeon got, he would always make time for Eric.

Eric draped an arm around Juyeon’s neck to press him closer, his other hand tangling in his boyfriend’s hair, careful, but knowing precisely where to hold, which strands to pull. Juyeon tasted like coffee, and under any other circumstance Eric would have pulled away immediately, but today, he just missed Juyeon more than anything.

When Juyeon pressed a hand to his chest to lay him down on the couch, Eric had half a mind to stop him and usher him back to his studying, but he got reminded that actions were Juyeon’s way of asking for things when the older slipped a hand under his shirt, gently gripping his waist and slowly rolling his hips down on him, all the while keeping his mouth busy with Eric’s. His tongue got a little more insisting, his entire body reacting to show Eric what he wanted, what he needed. His eyes attentively searched Eric’s face for any sign that the younger was uncomfortable, waiting for permission before going any further.

Eric’s heart gave a little squeeze at the reminder of how caring Juyeon was, no matter the situation. Juyeon would always make sure Eric was okay before doing anything, even though they had been together for months, friends for way longer, and they knew each other’s body language better than anyone. Eric could tell Juyeon had been stressed all morning and now clearly needed to get his mind off things, and if this was how he wanted to do it, Eric would be more than glad to help.

Above him, Juyeon had stilled, leaving a few centimeters between their bodies, mouth panting against Eric’s, his eyes still paying attention to Eric’s every reaction.

Eric waisted no time crashing their lips back together, more desperate, tugging a little harsher at his boyfriend’s hair. The gesture drew a small moan from Juyeon that travelled directly into his mouth, and the older finally closed his eyes into the kiss.

Twenty minutes and a shower later, Eric had joined Juyeon at the dining table as Juyeon was getting ready to start working on his assignment again. There hadn’t been the need for words when Eric came to climb onto Juyeon’s lap, his own textbook in hand, except for the quiet “I love you” Juyeon whispered into Eric’s ear as he helped Eric get settled.

Eric could feel the way Juyeon was in a completely different state than he was earlier; with one hand focusing on the softness of Eric’s hip, his head comfortably nesting on Eric’s shoulder, Juyeon’s heartbeat had gone back to a normal pace, no trace of the previous stress and frustration he had been going through. Judging from the constant sounds of writing and typing, Eric knew he was being way more productive than he had been just an hour ago. He himself wasn’t in the best position to study, with his arms dangling off the backrest of the chair Juyeon was sat on under him, but Eric didn’t care. He was feeling warm now, with the soothing comfort of Juyeon surrounding him. He was happy, and he didn’t need anything more.

They had made this strange studying method a thing when they had moved into this apartment, and Eric really couldn’t complain. He could always focus better around Juyeon, and the older’s calming presence did a lot to tone down the bubbling energy inside of him that was usually so distracting.

They would have spent the entire day like that, because this was what they needed, they both knew. Juyeon needed to finish this project due for the next Tuesday, and he had been so wrapped up in getting ready for finals that he hadn’t spent as much time with Eric as usual. Of course, they both knew that classes restarting would leave less time for them to spend together than what they had during the summer, and they had experienced it all throughout the semester, but the beginning of December had just been harder on the both of them. Eric would have cuddled with Juyeon for the entire day, even if that meant his arms trembled from the weight of his textbook, but today, there was something important marked on their calendar. Something important enough to force them to mold their schedule around it, Eric opting out of the weekly party his new friends organized on Saturday nights.

They had been warned three days in advance. Their group chat, as active as ever due to it being more difficult for each of their friends to meet in person, had received a very short, yet very meaningful message from Sangyeon.

_Let’s meet up! Flower Snack, Saturday after closing. Food’s on me._

Even though the message didn’t imply anything specific, Eric knew better than to assume Sangyeon simply wanted to hang out. Sangyeon had been to university. Had studied medicine. He _knew_ what finals meant for most students, and wouldn’t have suggested a meet up in the middle of December if it wasn’t anything important.

Juyeon’s theory had been more light-hearted; Sangyeon knew what finals meant, and he was probably just trying to cheer everyone up in these difficult times. Very Sangyeon of him, Eric had to admit, but he was sure there was more to that than just Sangyeon’s pure kindness, because as well-intended as that gesture would have been, well, simply making a hole in their schedule for this Saturday evening had required quite the gymnastics from both Eric and Juyeon, and Eric knew Sangyeon would never force that on them.

It was a few hours later, after Eric had ordered some delivery food for the both of them, after they had eaten in a rush in the living room, after they had gone back to their previous seating in the dining room and Eric could smell Juyeon’s brain frying from how hard he had been working all day. Eric had been dozing off a little when the sound of a pen dropping messily onto the table made him snap out of it, catching his textbook that had been a second away from slipping out of his hand. It didn’t take long before Juyeon was sighing contently, and nuzzling his head in the crook of Eric’s neck.

“Baby”, the older mumbled, lips grazing lazily against Eric’s skin. “It’s time to go.”

Eric would have checked his phone to confirm, if his phone hadn’t been abandoned on the table behind him. Instead, he leaned back a little, to be able to see Juyeon’s face. The older shot him a dopey smile. With his thin-rimmed glasses, Eric almost couldn’t recognize his boyfriend. The accessory gave him a softer appearance that had Eric absolutely melting for.

“Five more minutes” Eric pouted, staring into Juyeon’s eyes just long enough to feel the older give in, and he brought their lips together for a kiss.

Eric sneaked a hand under Juyeon’s shirt, delicately yet needily grazing the skin with his fingers. He immediately felt Juyeon’s mouth pull away from his, and he whined at the loss of contact.

“Youngjae, I actually don’t want to be late”, Juyeon scolded, gently removing Eric’s hands from under his shirt.

Eric gave Juyeon his best puppy eyes, but after months of being together, Juyeon had learnt how to be more level-headed, even when Eric still made his heart swoon with his adorable expressions.

Feeling that Juyeon wasn’t going to change his mind, Eric sighed in defeat, and reluctantly let Juyeon help him get off his lap. He stretched his arms and back, hiding a yawn behind his hand. Juyeon pecked him on the cheek, and walked over to their front door to get ready to leave.

Eric retrieved his phone from under the mess on the table, mindlessly checking the time. _6:30_. He slipped his phone in his pocket, before finally processing what time it was. _6:30?_ Sure, Flower Snack was closing earlier during the months of winter, but it closed at nine, and it took roughly ten minutes to get there by car. Even if they didn’t want to be late, they didn’t need to leave for another two hours.

“Youngjae!” Juyeon called after him, an enthusiastic urgency in his voice.

Eric set his confusion aside and turned towards Juyeon. The older wasn’t at the front door like Eric had expected. Instead, he was standing near the window of their living room, smiling softly at Eric, and –

“Oh my god, is that snow?” Eric shrieked excitedly, jumping over the couch and stumbling right into Juyeon’s arms.

Juyeon chuckled fondly and Eric’s eyes grew wide, staring out of the window as the first snow of the season was slowly making its way down and leaving a thin coat over everything it could reach. It looked almost magical, and Eric found himself pressing his hands against the window like a child, gasping at the view.

He wasn’t even surprised when he felt Juyeon’s arms wrap around his waist from behind, and his boyfriend’s chest pressing against his back. His chin came to rest onto Eric’s shoulder.

“We’re not just going to look at it from inside, are we?” Juyeon whispered playfully.

Without a care for being delicate, Eric twirled around in Juyeon’s embrace, until he came face to face with his boyfriend. Juyeon wasn’t even trying to hide his smug smirk.

“You planned this, didn’t you?” Eric’s voice was accusatory, yet the look on his face clearly betrayed how excited he was.

Juyeon gave an innocent shrug in return. “The snow wasn’t part of the plan”, he placed a soft kiss on Eric’s nose. “You waking up with me at six wasn’t either.” Another kiss, to his forehead this time, Juyeon’s lips pressing lovingly onto his skin for a few seconds, until Juyeon pulled away and they were eye to eye again. Juyeon grinned. “But the date...”, Juyeon let his words trail, and Eric was lost in his deep eyes, hanging onto every word coming out of Juyeon’s mouth. “The date is all planned”, Juyeon finished with a quick kiss to Eric’s lips, one Eric barely had time to respond to before Juyeon was stepping away, towards the front door.

Eric blinked the shock away and quickly followed. He reached for his shoes, tying the laces as he shook his head. “You can’t be serious”, he was in disbelief.

No matter how busy Juyeon got, he would always make time for Eric. Quite literally, because Eric couldn’t understand how Juyeon had managed to free himself from all responsibilities so early in the day.

“Of course I am”, Juyeon replied.

Eric stood back up after tying up his shoes, only to find Juyeon waiting for him and handing him his coat. Eric quickly put it on, and grabbed a beanie from the closet to snuggle onto his hair.

Once he was satisfied with the look of it, he turned back towards Juyeon, and slipped his hand into his boyfriend’s. “Ready?” Juyeon asked.

“I love you”, Eric smiled as a response, his words illuminating Juyeon’s face.

“I love you too.”

Eric couldn’t recall the last time they had been on a proper date, just somewhere with the two of them and no one else around to distract them. These days, when they went out, it was often to meet up with friends, because them too, they didn’t see a lot. Everyone was busy, it was understandable, so the time that could be spent for a date was used to go shopping with Kevin and Chanhee, or to grab some fast food with Jaehyun, Haknyeon and Hyunjoon. It was also spent downtown, Eric helping a stressed-out Sunwoo pick a ring for Haknyeon.

Juyeon first drove them to a small cafe. They weren’t going to eat, because Sangyeon had said everyone would eat together at Flower Snack, and they didn’t want to miss out on that. Eric also didn’t let Juyeon order coffee for himself, because the amount he had drunk on that day alone was already unhealthy, but they did get the best hot chocolates Eric had ever had in his life, along with some pastries they both couldn’t resist.

They picked a table next to the window, and linked hands over the table the entire time. The snow kept falling outside, beautifully, freezing the time for Eric and Juyeon to spend with each other, words tumbling out of their mouths like they hadn’t had a proper talk in weeks. It was Juyeon’s first time hearing about how Eric and Felix had tried teaching Daehwi how to skateboard, only for Daehwi to end up completely smashing Felix’s board by accident. It was Eric’s first time hearing the story of Juyeon embarrassing himself in front of his friends from university one time they all went out for dinner together, when Juyeon had thought the waiter had been flirting with him and had panicked, almost yelling to the poor guy that he had a boyfriend, only for the waiter to laugh and tell him he was straight.

Once they had emptied their cups and plates, Juyeon led Eric out of the cafe, and they abandoned the car behind in order to walk down the busy streets. The snow continued to fall around them even as they reached a park, where they took pictures of each other, and more than enough selfies under the cute lights that had been placed there for Christmas. They stayed outside until their nose and cheeks were red, their hands red too from the little snowball fight they had.

Eric’s face had frozen with a smile on it when they returned to Juyeon’s car, where they warmed themselves up with a short making out session as they waited for the car to actually heat itself up.

During the drive to Flower Snack, Eric could feel excitement, as well as apprehension rise in his chest. It had been a while since the last time he had as much as just passed by the restaurant. Despite it being close to his old apartment, and to his university, he tended to avoid the place the best he could. He knew himself, and he didn’t want to get caught in the middle of a nostalgic breakdown in the restaurant. He missed working there more than he should, and now he was scared to go back, because he didn’t want to see just how much the place had changed.

Juyeon parked down the hill a few minutes later, finding one of the only empty spots on the street during such a busy Seoul night.

They hurriedly walked together under the snow, Juyeon pulling Eric close to his side, and Eric snuggling into his embrace the best he could while walking. Once they reached the entrance of the restaurant, Eric could see the warmly lit interior through the bay windows. A few tables seemed to be still occupied, and Eric felt a weird feeling seep into of him at the sight of two unknown boys working exactly the way he used to, few months ago.

“C’mon, let’s get inside”, Juyeon’s voice pulled him out of his staring.

The familiar sound of the bell as they entered sent chills all over his arms.

Juyeon was beside him as they stepped into Flower Snack. They were quickly greeted by a tall, lanky boy that couldn’t have been much older than Eric was. His squirrel-like cheeks reminded him of Changmin’s, which tug an unconscious smile at his lips. He narrowed his eyes to get a better look at the boy’s nametag; Junkyu, his name was.

“Hi, welcome to Flower Snack!” He greeted them energetically. “Would you like a table or are you here for a takeaway?”

Eric quickly shook his head. “No, actually, we’re friends with Sangyeon! We’re a bit early but we’re meeting him here.”

The boy in front of them blinked in confusion. “Oh! Oh, sorry, I didn’t–”

“Excuse him”, a new voice chirped in, and a boy with fluffy blonde hair draped an arm over the taller’s shoulders. “We’re closing in more or less ten minutes, you guys are right on time. Sangyeon-ssi is just in his office. I believe you know the way”, he ended with a wink, which made the other boy – Junkyu – roll his eyes and push him aside.

Eric and Juyeon thanked them both, and the two boys scurried back to work. Juyeon let out a quiet chuckle, and they made their way into the restaurant that they still knew like their own home. They entered the kitchen, still as dark as they both remembered it.

There were three other boys in the kitchen, three employees. Two were standing in Chanhee and Kevin’s spaces, the other in Sunwoo’s. Eric briefly watched them interact, a shorter guy bringing freshly made food to a taller one, and they immediately started bickering playfully, their laughter filling up the kitchen. The sight drew a smile to Eric’s lips.

Juyeon had disappeared from his side, probably in Sangyeon’s office already. Eric walked into the hallway, and he could hear Juyeon and Sangyeon exchanging warm greetings, but those were quickly drowned out when Eric’s eyes noticed something on the wall across from Sangyeon’s office. His curiosity got the best of him, and he walked closer. He felt his heart drop to his stomach as he realized what it was.

It had been there for so long that Eric had almost forgotten it was there. It was the first group picture that him and his friends had taken at the restaurant, and the only full group one for that matter, that day when they had all worked together and Sangyeon had been so happy that he had suggested it, that group picture they’d had so much fun taking in front of the flower wall. Now, right under their framed one, was an almost identical picture, in a very similar golden frame, a group of twelve other boys standing in front of the neon-lit sign that announced the name of the shop.

There was a lump in his throat as Eric got closer, letting his gaze trail over the unfamiliar faces in the new picture. He squinted to get a better look when he thought he could recognize one of the younger-looking faces. He recognized another boy immediately; it was that Japanese boy Juyeon was tutoring, he had come to their apartment a couple of times. It was such a small world.

Some movement to his right almost made him jump. From the back of the shop came a brown-haired boy, about his height, dressed in an apron and a nametag that it was a bit too dark for Eric to read. Eric couldn’t explain it, but even the way he was wearing his apron was stylish.

“Are you a friend of Sangyeon-ssi?” the other asked curiously, letting the cork pad he’d been holding drop to his side.

Eric smiled. “Yeah, I’m Eric” he introduced himself, and held out a hand for the other boy.

The reaction he got wasn’t the one he expected when the other giggled. “You’re Eric?” he pointed at Eric, eyes crinkled with laughter.

Eric frowned. “What’s wrong?”, he asked, because he didn’t know what was so funny about his name.

The boy let out a happy laugh, before explaining. “The kids found you guys’ nametags in Sangyeon-ssi’s office– I told them not to snoop around, I swear! But they still did, and Jeongwoo wears yours for fun sometimes, then he panics when people actually expect him to speak English.”

Eric snorted, but he couldn’t help but play out the situation in his mind, with his own friends as the main characters. A lot of his friends would have done the same thing as “Jeongwoo” had.

The brown-haired then bowed rapidly. “I’m Hyunsuk, by the way. Nice to meet you!”

They finally shook hands, and Hyunsuk’s eyes scrunched up as he looked at Eric.

“Wait”, he said, “that means you’re on that picture, right?” He gestured to the framed picture on the wall. “You’re... that guy! Right? Are you not?”

Eric chuckled, but nodded. “That would be me, yeah. So you work here?”

It was the boy’s turn to nod eagerly as a smile formed on his face. “Yup, I think I started not long after you left.”

That would make sense.

Eric motioned to the pad that Hyunsuk was holding. “What’s your job here?”

Hyunsuk turned shy all of a sudden, a hand coming to scratch at the back of his neck. “Oh, I’m actually assistant-manager”, he giggled like he was embarrassed.

About a dozen questions popped in Eric’s mind at the same time. Assistant-manager? Why? How? What even was his job, when Sangyeon was already manager? Sangyeon had never needed an assistant before. What had changed?

“Hyung!” a sudden loud and deep voice yelled from the kitchen, making Hyunsuk groan.

“Seems like they can’t go two minutes without me. I’ll see you around!” he bowed, and then hurried towards the kitchen.

Eric watched him enter the room, immediately going to the tall cook’s side and helping out with the messed-up orders on the counter, if Eric guessed the situation right. A small smile formed on his lips at the new employees’ behaviour. Sangyeon’s restaurant seemed to be in good hands.

He finally walked to Sangyeon’s office, pushing his way in like he had so many times in the past. Juyeon and Sangyeon were sat on chairs across the desk from each other, laughing over something. At the sound of Eric coming in, they both turned their heads towards him.

“Who did you just meet?” Sangyeon asked with a smile.

Eric frowned. “Not even a ‘Hi Eric, long time no see’?” he sulked and rushed over to his friend, tackling him into a bone-crushing hug.

“You’re always welcome over here, you know that”, Sangyeon laughed, hugging him back.

“I know”, Eric mumbled, and guilt creeped up his heart. It was his fault for not coming over, because he was too scared he’d be overwhelmed with emotions if he came back. He was already tearing up because of those damn pictures on the wall.

“Actually, none of you have come here in ages, I’m starting to think you guys must have hated it all along”, Sangyeon tried to joke, making Eric gasp.

“Of course not, hyung! I miss it every day”, he said.

Sangyeon affectionately ruffled Eric’s hair, and Eric pulled away, walking around the desk to go sit on Juyeon’s lap. Juyeon linked their right hands together under the desk.

“I miss working with you guys too”, Sangyeon admitted. “I’m also really proud of every single one of you for doing what you love.”

“At least your new employees seem really nice”, Eric admitted.

“Yeah, they’re truly fantastic. They’ve helped me out so much.”

“But, I just...” Eric started thinking back on the ‘Hyunsuk’ boy’s introduction. “Why did you hire an assistant-manager? You never needed one before.”

Sangyeon had an enigmatic smile on. “That brings us back to my first question; who did you meet?”

Eric impatiently threw his hands in the air, not missing the way it made Juyeon jump in surprise under him. “What do you mean _who_ , you figured out I met your assistant, shouldn’t you know who your own assistant-manager is?” he asked.

His question must have been a little too expressive, because it pulled a soft chuckle out of the older.

“Don’t worry, I know who my assistants are”, Sangyeon smiled calmly.

Juyeon suddenly spoke up. “Wait, you have two assistants?”

“Of course. They’re both part-time, so having two of them works just fine. They’re doing really well.”

“They look really young”, Eric commented.

Sangyeon chuckled. “Yeah, they’re a bit younger than you guys. The younger ones joined because of their friends, actually. A few of them knew each other before, and I think their smaller friendship circles are slowly mingling together, it’s so cute.” Sangyeon’s eyes were sparkling in fondness as he told his friends about his new employees.

“Are you replacing us?” Eric shrieked, visibly offended.

Sangyeon let a few seconds go by before replying. “As employees, yes, you could say that.”

“Oh, I see where this is going”, Juyeon chirped in. “You wanted friendly employees to keep the ambiance that we had here, correct?”

“Correct”, Sangyeon nodded with a smile.

“ _That_ is replacing us!” Eric protested.

Sangyeon downright ignored him to carry on with his rant about his new bunch of employees. “I feel like I’m some sort of friendship matchmaker. I have a good feeling they will all end up being friends outside of work, all thanks to me!”

“I’m sure that would make work more fun for them”, Juyeon was quick to agree. “I think that’s what made all of us stick around for so long.”

“I think so too”, Sangyeon agreed. “It’s not even in their job requirements, but Hyunsuk and Jihoon are doing a really good job at bringing everyone together.”

Eric frowned, and crossed his arms on his chest, leaning back against Juyeon. “That brings us back to _my_ first question; why do you need assistants now if you never needed even one?”

Sangyeon’s smile reached his eyes as he held a finger to his lips. “You know too much now, it will ruin the surprise for later.”

Minutes later, more of their friends had arrived, and most of the customers had left. Eric had taken a table with Juyeon, Jacob and Hyunjoon to wait for the official closing time. Soon enough, Jaehyun had made his loud entrance, flanked by his quieter roommates Younghoon and Chanhee. Eric had seen Jaehyun strike up a conversation with the waiter he had learned was _Jihoon_ , while Younghoon and Chanhee joined them at the table.

9:01, all the customers had left, and Kevin, Changmin, Sunwoo and Haknyeon had arrived all at the same time. Sangyeon had been finishing up some papers in his office, because he finally came to join them in the dining room. He hadn’t even sat down yet that a smile formed on his face, and he turned towards the kitchen.

“Hyunsuk!” he shouted, loud enough for the assistant to come jogging up to the ordering counter, standing on the other side of the wall.

“Yes?” he asked, eyes scanning the little crowd that were all of Sangyeon’s friends.

“Tell everyone to go home”, Sangyeon said. “We’ll take it from here.”

Hyunsuk seemed to hesitate for a second, before he bowed. “Thanks boss!”

He disappeared into the depths of the kitchen, inevitably spreading the good news as excited screams were heard from everywhere around the back store.

Sangyeon sat down next to Haknyeon, and they waited for the young boys to leave before they would tackle on the tasks themselves. Surprisingly, none of Eric’s friends complained at the prospect of doing some cleaning they weren’t even getting paid for. Well, they were getting free food. Maybe that counted for something. Or maybe they all just missed working at Flower Snack, and coming together one last time would be a good way for everyone to turn the page.

It didn’t take long that the doors to the kitchen were swinging open, the younger boys piling out with cheery laughs and bright smiles plastered on their faces. They reminded Eric of himself, finishing a work shift surrounded by his friend, leaving the restaurant that really didn’t feel like a job.

He caught Hyunsuk walking out, Jihoon’s arm slung over his shoulder. There was something about the way they carried themselves, eyes darting all over as if they were keeping their other friends in check. Hyunsuk had a hand into his designer jacket’s pocket, the other swinging car keys around his fingers.

_Wait, wasn’t that one of Hyunjoon’s jackets?_

Eric stole a glance at Hyunjoon, and just from the little proud smile on his friend’s lips, he knew he had seen correctly.

The bells above the door rang, and their loud laughter started dying out into the street. Hyunsuk held the door for a boy just as short as him to leave, letting out a “Good job today, Mashi” with a pat on the boy’s back, and he turned to the two others behind him.

“Oy ‘Ruto, your parents are here already”, Hyunsuk nodded at the taller of the two, then pointing at a car parked right in front of the restaurant.

The boy blushed slightly, and made his escape quickly, pulling his hoodie over his head as he entered the parked car, sliding onto the back seat.

There were only Hyunsuk and the other boy left. Eric could see Jihoon waiting outside on the sidewalk.

“Are we driving you, Jeongwoo?” Hyunsuk asked the boy.

As the young-looking boy nodded, the name suddenly clicked in Eric’s brain. _Jeongwoo._

In an act of pure spontaneity, Eric jumped to his feet.

“Jeongwoo-ssi!” he called, making the boy turn around in surprise. “ _Have a good night!_ ” he exclaimed in English, then, in Korean, he added a quick “I’m glad you like my nametag!”

Jeongwoo’s face fell and he spluttered as Hyunsuk burst out laughing, sending Eric an appreciative thumbs up. He ended up dragging the boy out of the restaurant, his laughter becoming muffled with the door closing behind them.

Eric watched them even as they joined Jihoon outside, and the three of them disappeared into a car together. He realized Hyunsuk reminded him a awful lot of Sangyeon, in the way in the short while he had met him, he seemed to be taking care of the younger ones around him like his own children.

With a step back, Eric could see that the place in fact hadn’t changed much, only the employees had. The thought seemed to ease all the worries in Eric’s heart; Flower Snack was still Flower Snack, even with different people on board. Maybe the new employees were strangers to him, but seeing a bunch of them interact took Eric back to the summer, when he’d be the one his friends would drive back home, when Sangyeon would be the one making sure everyone was getting home safe. The restaurant seemed to be in good hands, and Eric definitely would come back more often from then on. No matter as an employee or as a customer, Flower Snack had always felt like a second home, and it would continue that way.

A loud clap suddenly made Eric jump in surprise. It was Sangyeon, standing up from the other side of the table.

“I believe everyone knows what to do”, he grinned, and he didn’t have to say more, everyone else rising up to their feet.

The music was on quicker than expected, Jaehyun coming out of the office with a satisfied grin. Eric saw Juyeon disappearing into the dish-washing room, and he was about to follow, when a hand on his chest pushed him back.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Chanhee scolded.

The older grabbed his hand and stuffed a damp washcloth in it. “Tables are still dirty.”

Eric gasped, offended by his friend suddenly ordering him around. “And who are you to tell me that?”

Chanhee simply smirked. “The only employee of the month this restaurant ever had”, was his response.

He patted Eric on the shoulder and walked away, leaving a stunned Eric behind.

That wasn’t even a valid argument, but Eric found himself listening anyway, going back into the dining room to clean tables, just like he had done so many times in the past. He found familiarity in the way Hyunjoon tried to mop over his shoes just to annoy him, in the way Haknyeon took his sweet time catering to the plants so that he wouldn’t get assigned any other task.

And just like that, they were all reunited around one table, with Jaehyun’s playlist playing faintly through the speakers. It felt like a nice family diner, and as Eric looked around the table, everyone looked happy, chatting and laughing with one another. It was loud, but Eric was used to it, he’d take the noise level any time if it meant he could be with all of his friends at the same time.

It wasn’t like they hadn’t seen each other ever since they had stopped working together, but the circumstances were simply different. It seemed like a more formal occasion, even though the place was as familiar to Eric as his own home. It felt only natural when everyone started dropping big news about what they had been up to, starting with Jacob and Sunwoo who coordinated their announcement despite being sat at two different ends of the table. It was Sunwoo who had, after a look at Jacob, spoken loudly “Jacob hyung and I got a producing contract with the label who bought our song back in September!”. Jacob had repeated the news to the boys around him who hadn’t heard everything Sunwoo had said, and who explained, after the table had fell silent, what exactly this new contract was: they would be writing one, or more songs for an upcoming boygroup’s debut, an incredible chance to get their name out there and to start building a reputation for themselves.

As everyone congratulated the two producers, Eric’s eyes fell on Sunwoo, who was smiling from ear to ear. And Haknyeon next to him, equally as happy; he had stars in his eyes as he watched Sunwoo answer to questions and praises thrown around by their friends. There had been the same stars in Sunwoo’s eyes, when, a few weeks earlier, Haknyeon had video called Sunwoo to announce he had gotten an internship at some local radio station, due to start the following semester.

It had been the middle of the day, somewhere in the middle of the week when neither Eric or Sunwoo had any classes. Sunwoo had dropped the news to Eric, a few days prior, that he was going to propose, simultaneously asking for Eric’s help. Sunwoo had been nervous, and he was still nervous then, as they strolled down the busiest streets of Seoul, filled with people already getting started on their Christmas shopping. Sunwoo had been rambling incessantly, on the verge of backing out because maybe they weren’t at that point yet, maybe it was too early, maybe Haknyeon wouldn’t like that, and all sorts of bullshit reasons Eric had tried his best to counterargue.

Haknyeon’s call had come as they were crossing a street, Sunwoo picking up with shaky hands and Eric had to guide him to safety all the way to the sidewalk, because as soon as Haknyeon’s face popped up on the screen, Sunwoo had eyes for nothing else.

“H-hak?” Sunwoo had stuttered nervously, a small smile tracing his lips at the sight of Haknyeon’s blindingly bright one.

Haknyeon was still at school, walking out of the building. Eric could make out the voices of Kevin and Chanhee chatting next to him.

“How are you baby?” Haknyeon asked, and Sunwoo almost tripped over his own feet.

“Me? I’m– I’m good! How are you?”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t call you earlier and I really wanted to tell you in person but I also wanted to tell you as soon as possible so I’m just calling you now because I got accepted for the internship!”

Sunwoo stopped walking so abruptly that Eric had to yank him out of the way so that they wouldn’t get bumped into. Sunwoo held his phone like the most precious thing in the world, like it was actually Haknyeon he was holding and not just a digital representation of him. His smile had reached his ears, his eyes full of such fondness, yet he couldn’t say anything. Eric slapped him on the arm, before leaning in front of the camera.

“Congrats hyung!” he yelled. “Sorry your boyfriend is too in love with you to say it himself.”

Haknyeon chuckled. Sunwoo didn’t even comment at Eric’s intrusion on their call, eyes only for Haknyeon as he finally spoke.

“I love you, baby”, he almost whispered, the emotion in his voice betraying how proud he was.

The call ended a short while later, because Haknyeon was the designated driver and Kevin and Chanhee both had places to go to. Sunwoo took a long minute staring at the picture of Haknyeon that was his lock screen, until he slid his phone back into his pocket.

“Eric”, Sunwoo turned to him, his eyes blank as resolution dawned on him. “I’m proposing to him.”

Eric broke into a wide grin, slinging an arm around Sunwoo’s shoulders. “That’s my boy”, he squeezed his best friend’s shoulder, leading him back into the crowd and into the first out of many jewellery shops they would visit that day.

The exact ring they had ended up picking was right there, shining around Haknyeon’s finger when the boy gripped Sunwoo’s hand to congratulate him once more, even though Eric had no doubt he had been the first one Sunwoo had told the news to.

Eric wondered if he should ask the question out loud, or if he should let his friends announce their engagement by themselves. He didn’t have to think for too long that a loud gasp was heard from somewhere on his right, Younghoon staring at Haknyeon with wide eyes and his hands on his mouth.

Everyone quickly realized what that was about, similar gasps echoing all around the table.

“Haknyeon?” Jaehyun asked, puzzled.

The younger blushed slightly, and turned to Sunwoo, who was already looking at him with his cheeks equally as red.

“We’re engaged”, Sunwoo smiled, without breaking their eye contact.

Haknyeon leaned forward to kiss him under the enthusiastic cheers of their friends, and Eric would like to believe his screams were the loudest around the table.

Once they had all gone back to eating, Changmin excitedly announced he would be joining an upcoming tv show as a dancer and choreographer, making weekly appearances. Kevin had been the loudest one to cheer, openly kissing his boyfriend right after he had sat down.

Those news didn’t really surprise Eric, as Kevin had let everything slip out by accident just a few days prior, as they were eating lunch together on campus. Younghoon, Haknyeon and Hyunjoon had also been there, and Kevin had made all of them promise not to tell anyone. Now, as Changmin had revealed it to everyone, Eric congratulated him as if it was his first time hearing about it.

Hyunjoon then announced he had taken a new direction with his brand, now instead of only customizing clothes and accessories on requests, he was also coming up with his own redesigned items, and putting them up for sale, confirming that the jacket Eric had seen on Hyunsuk had indeed been one of his most recent creations that Eric had seen going around on his social medias, because he was Hyunjoon’s number one supporter, having turned his friend’s notifications on and liking everything he could. Hyunjoon was garnering a lot of attention on his Instagram page because of his designs, he was thriving.

If the other boys were still in school and working towards their dream, they all declared being happy with their choices, and all seemed on the right track to achieving their goals. Nothing made Eric feel as good as to see everyone’s efforts paying off by the smiles on their faces and the pride that exuded from them when they opened their mouths to talk about what they had been doing in the past months.

Towards the end of the dinner, Sangyeon suddenly stood up, as if he had an announcement to make. Eric had almost forgotten that this was the reason why they had all been invited, he had been getting lost in the moment a little too much. He kept his head turned towards the older boy, who was now standing at the end of a table. Eric leaned backwards, settling into the backrest as Juyeon rested his arm around his shoulders.

The table had fell silent. Sangyeon shifted nervously on his feet. Sat down on the chair next to him, Jacob gave him an encouraging nod and a smile, which had Sangyeon instantly smile back.

“Okay, uhm, big news!” Sangyeon exclaimed excitedly, clapping his hands together once. “I will be opening a new Flower Snack in January. And I’m in talks for a third location before next summer.”

Eric’s jaw dropped at the announcement. Around him, his friends were sending heartfelt congratulations to Sangyeon, Haknyeon even running to lift Sangyeon in the air as a celebration. Sangyeon’s eyes were crinkled happily as he was being lifted barely a centimeter off the ground. Once his feet were let back down, he clasped his hands over Haknyeon’s on his stomach to gently free himself from the hold.

“There is more”, Sangyeon added when the boys started to calm down. Haknyeon let go of him and went back to his place in between Sunwoo and Jaehyun.

Sangyeon smiled sheepishly, and ran a hand against the back of his neck. “I’m only just starting to build my brand, obviously this restaurant is still my only physical work place... but I’m planning on opening an office space, right above my second location that’s opening in two months....”

He made a pause, and let his gaze wander over his friends. Eric could feel the older’s eyes stray on Juyeon for a second, before he flickered back to look at the ensemble of them.

“I guess, who says office says employees, right?” Sangyeon grinned. “This is only an offer, of course, but I’d like to offer some of you a job in my company. Only when you complete your studies! You could also start part-time, too. Whatever you like. Juyeon, Kevin, I’m looking at you guys.”

Eric saw Juyeon’s eyes grow wide opened as soon as his name was called. “M-me?” the older stuttered, barely loud enough to be heard.

Sangyeon was good at reading lips. “Of course, Juyeon! Not only are you studying business, but you’re also an amazing cook. I need you on my team, if you’ll let me have you.”

Juyeon’s jaw had dropped. He quickly shook his head to bring himself back to reality. “No, I mean, yes, hyung, thank you so much!”

Sangyeon smiled in satisfaction. Eric cuddled up to a still in shock Juyeon, who finally snapped back into it to look down at Eric. He had the happiest smile on as his arm around Eric moved down from around the chair to hug Eric closer. Eric made sure to give him an equally as bright smile, before bringing back his attention to Sangyeon.

He was now looking at Kevin, who had started fiddling with his fingers. Kevin had an unsure frown on his face, and he stared into nothing as he spoke. “Hyung... I get Juyeon, but... why me?” he whispered the last part.

Sangyeon’s smile was so wide at this point it almost looked fake, but Eric knew it was just due to how incredibly excited the older was about all of this. And right there, Eric realized, he was witnessing the exact moment where Sangyeon’s wildest dreams were taking shape.

“You think I won’t need a graphic designer?” the older asked, a fake offended tone to his voice.

Kevin suddenly looked up at him, astonishment written all over his face. “You... a...” he couldn’t speak.

Sangyeon chuckled softly. “And if anyone else needs a job, just know I’ll always have something for you guys. You really all helped me start this beautiful adventure”, his eyes were starting to water up, “and I could never thank you guys enough.”

He bit his bottom lip, turning his head slightly to hide his face. But Eric had caught everything. “Ah, hyung! Don’t tell me you’re crying!” he teased, making a few of his friends laugh.

“You’re such a sap, Sangyeon hyung”, Changmin snorted.

Sangyeon turned back towards them, a look of disbelief on his face. “You guys are so annoying”, he groaned.

The teasing continuing didn’t stop Sangyeon from crying further, especially when Kevin shyly came up to tell him he’d love to work for him, and when Jacob kissed him in front of everyone and told him how proud he was of him.

Eric still had chills all over his arms as he and Juyeon walked back into their apartment into the little hours of the night. He kicked his shoes off, too lazy to even bother placing them properly. They both stumbled lazily to their bedroom, where Juyeon immediately crashed face down onto the mattress, with his jeans and sweater still on.

“You will regret that in five minutes”, Eric predicted, heading to the closet instead.

Juyeon hummed, rolling around on his back to look at Eric as the younger casually stripped-down of his clothes, letting them drop to the floor as he rummaged through the clean clothes on the rack.

Eric could almost feel the older’s piercing gaze on his back as he searched for comfortable clothes for Juyeon. As opposed to a few months ago, now the attention didn’t bother him in the slightest. He had grown so comfortable around Juyeon, after endless reassuring talks where he had learned that Juyeon really wasn’t lying when he told Eric he was beautiful. There had been a new level of trust building between them, after all, they had nothing to hide from each other, and there wasn’t anything Eric wanted to hide from Juyeon.

No matter how their busy lives separated them, Eric and Juyeon would always find their way back to each other, and really, there wasn’t anyone else Eric would rather fall asleep with at the end of the day.

Turning back around, standing only in his boxers, Eric placed his hands on his hips and looked down at Juyeon.

“How do I look?” he asked, trying to hide a giggle.

Juyeon pouted, taping his chin as if he was thinking. “You look, hm... chef’s kiss.”

Eric let out a laugh.

“Did you just say _chef’s kiss_?” he asked, mimicking the hand motion to make sure he had heard right.

Juyeon laughed from the bed, hands clutching at his stomach at Eric’s perplexed expression. Upon seeing Juyeon’s reaction, Eric snickered, and their eyes locked again.

“Does that mean... you’re the chef, and I’m the kiss?” Eric asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Only if you’re my kiss” Juyeon childishly pouted his lips, waiting for Eric to come and claim them.

They both giggled at how cheesy they sounded.

Eric crossed their small bedroom towards Juyeon, Juyeon catching him right before he’d fall completely onto his body, leaving just enough distance between them to be comfortable. Eric leaned down to press a giggly kiss onto Juyeon’s pouty lips, and Juyeon wrapped his arms around him, pulling him closer and kissing back just as tenderly, yet messily as they were both laughing. Eric was happy, snuggled into Juyeon’s embrace right where he belonged, and for a moment time stopped around them. Tomorrow could wait, their responsibilities could wait, because there wasn’t anything more important than loving each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaand that’s a wrap!
> 
> This whole thing was a pun. I love puns.
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who’s read this until the end, whether you’ve been here from the start or you binge-read everything in one day, the support means a lot to me. I never thought I would be disciplined enough to actually write and post a 24 (24!) chapters fic, it’s the first time I’ve ever written something that long and in a language that is not my first. That was quite the challenge, but also really fun (when else are tbz and treasure going to have any interaction if i don’t make it happen?). 
> 
> This fic was a lot of trials and errors, mostly just me experimenting with what i like to write, and how i like to write characters, i guess? I’d like to think I improved through this little adventure.
> 
> If you’re still reading this author note, i have a small announcement to make: i’m writing another fic (yay!) to go up somewhere in the near future, but I’d really appreciate to get some feedback on this story before I bring the final touches to my other work, that’s why i linked my twitter and my cc at the end of this note. You can also leave a comment on here, and I promise I’ll reply to everyone. I’d appreciate a bit of constructive criticism if you feel like it, if you’re not sure of what to say you can also just tell me which one was your favourite chapter, and which one was your least, that would be a lot of help too!
> 
> Once again, thank you so much for reading,
> 
> See you next time :) 
> 
> I have a deobi twitter now! If you want to stay updated on the next disaster i’ll be writing, or just come chat with me, my dms are always open: [twt](https://twitter.com/youngjaewrlds) , [cc](https://curiouscat.qa/youngjaewrlds)


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